Modern Day Magic
by TheCheeseCat
Summary: Never knowing she had witch potential, Raven Taylor suddenly finds out she is one when she receives her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Will she be able to survive school or will magic just make her life more complicated?
1. The Story Begins

**Author's Note: **I decided to take a small break from my recent story because I was feeling a little burnt out. My niece and I were watching part one of the Deathly Hollows, and I felt myself becoming attracted to the Harry Potter series again. I decided to start this story, it taking place where the epilogue left off, 2017. This is a story of a modern day girl and her journey to discover what it is to be a witch in these times.

**EDIT 8/15: I went and changed some stuff in this chapter. With a little helpful critique, I can hopefully write a little better. Thank you anonymous reader for your review.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**The Story Begins**

_All over the world there are incidents where a young child will start to show signs of odd behaviors and as some claim psychological disorders. Strange things will begin to happen, things vanishing, other things appearing after years of absence. Unexplainable events begin to take place in the household. To the normal human being these events would likely be explained as Psychic Phenomena. However to a witch or wizard, this would be the child's sign that they were becoming of age._

_It is a proud moment in a magical family when their child starts showing signs of magical use. However in Muggle-born house holds, the behavior that their child shows can be alarming. They can go to doctors, psychics that try to offer answers, but it's only when the child reaches their eleventh year and the autumn season rolls around that the answer is finally revealed to that family. A letter delivered to the household normally by an owl, non-magic folk are often confused by the appearance of the owl. The owl will deliver the letter addressed to the student, sealed with the wax symbol of the most prestigious school you've seen._

_And yet they have never even heard of this school, Hogwarts as they call it. The child will open the letter to see an invitation and an explanation to what they have been going through. They are given the opportunity to have questions answered, and they are given instructions on where to go and what to buy to start out their new school year. The child would be ecstatic about this new chance and to learn more about what they were, the parent may still hold confusion. However if the parent chooses to ignore the invitation, the child is continually presented with the letter until either they are answered or the school year begins without them._

_The change can either strengthen or destroy muggle families. Questions rise as to why who is responsible. Secrets are revealed and often families are brought to ruins, however rare occasions the family becomes stronger, and they see this as a new opportunity to learn about the other side of the world they never really knew existed. In this case, a secret that was hidden for many years and tucked away will soon come to light, and the fate of a young girl's family will hang in the balance. _

_This is her story..._

"Raven, come down for dinner dear!" Carrying up the stairs, a motherly voice called to a young girl in the small suburban home.

"Alright, give me a sec Mom!" The girl called out in return, her eyes darting back to the computer screen as she clicked on one of the conversations she had on her instant messenger. In the background was a website on magic and odd phenomena, something Raven had been experiencing in the last year. Things she couldn't quite explain were happening, she knew she was the one doing them though, just wasn't sure how. She never bothered to tell her parents about these strange occurrences, she feared they would think she was insane. She knew she wasn't crazy.

Raven scrolled through the recent conversation she was having with one of her friends, smiling lightly at the response.

**Catlady21: **So do you think you're one of those psychic people?

**NevermoreRaven: **I don't know really. I wish I could explain this to someone other then you, lol.

**Catlady21: **I still think you should tell your parents about this. I think they'll understand. :)

**NevermoreRaven: **You have a valid point. It's time for dinner anyway, I'll tell them then.

**Catlady21: **Good luck Raven! :D

She placed the music she had been listening to on stop, a mixture of rock and orchestral (Not in the same songs, mind you.), and pushed away from her desk. She fixed her glasses on her face, looking around her room at the various awards from school she had already received. She was only eleven and she was already smartest student in her class. Perhaps her intelligence had something to do with these odd things occurring around her. Leaning over her desk, she set her status to busy and headed out her door down to the dining room.

Downstairs her younger brother was already at the table, or rather under it as he was sneaking bit of dinner to his cat Ramen. The orange tabby cat was named for his love of the food, most of the time it was all he would eat. Mom always had a terrible time trying to get that cat on a normal diet. Raven rounded the corner of the table, whistling lightly before bumping her brother with her foot. He face-planted into the floor, Ramen stealing the last bit of food from his hand before running off with it.

"You're not very inconspicuous hiding under the table like that." Raven looked down at him as he poked his head out from under the tablecloth.

"Stop using big words you know no one but you understand." He growled up at her, lifting himself up from the floor and into his seat. Raven took her seat next to him just as their mother began bringing out the main course for dinner.

"There you two are, meat pie for dinner tonight, alright?" Her mother smiled placing the pan down in the middle of the table.

"Gross!" Her brother made a small face.

"Relax, I didn't put onions in it, perfectly bland." Their mother chuckled, sitting at the table. She began to serve the meal setting down an extra plate for their father. As if on cue their father walked through the door, giving a relaxed sigh as she adjusted his glasses and tossed his briefcase on the couch.

"Hi Dad!" Raven waved to him as he came to the table, loosening his tie while he sat down.

"Hello Raven, Tobias." He smiled to his children and leaned over, kissing his daughter on the side of her head. He'd kiss his son but he was nine and was too old for kisses from mom or dad anymore. "What do we have here? Bland meat pie?"

"You got it." Raven's mother poured him some milk from the pitcher. The family began to eat, talking about their day. Raven stared down at her plate, trying to figure out a way to introduce her topic into the conversation. She didn't really want to tell them, she didn't want to hurt them or make them think she needed to go get special help. What choice did she have anymore though?

"Mom … Dad, I have something I need to tell you." Raven finally blurted out, causing the table to go silent.

"Yes?" Her mother looked at her with a concerned stare, her father however, seemed unphased.

"I-" Raven was cut off by the sound of the mail slot flapping shut. The family turned to look to the front door. The mail already came today. Her mother began to stand up but was cut off when her father stood holding his hand out.

"I'll get it. Must have missed some mail." He smiled, moving to the door and scooping up the letter from the rug. Slowly he opened the door to thank the mail carrier, but no one was there only the hooting of an owl in the nearby tree. His eyes traveled down to the envelope in his hand, the letters on the old parchment seemed to sparkle. It had Raven's name on it, and was sealed shut with a wax seal. Immediately he knew where it was from, how could he be so stupid?

He had almost forgotten how old she was, and forgotten that this day would come. He knew the consequences if he avoided the letter. It was time. He gave a heavy sigh and held the letter tightly in his hand, moving back into the dining room. He was met with the curious gaze of his family, Raven's mother's eyes fell on the odd envelope in her husband's hand.

"What's that dear?" She asked.

"For Raven." He slowly handed the envelope to his daughter. Raven looked down at it, a confused look on her face as she took it and looked at the seal on the back.

"No one seals envelopes with wax anymore, is this a joke?" Raven asked breaking the seal and pulling out the letter in it.

"Renee, I guess I should tell you now before you find out the other way." Raven's father looked to his wife who was now looking more confused then ever.

"What's going on David?"

"Renee, I never told you about my past life because I didn't think you would believe me. I guess now is a good of time as ever. Renee Taylor, your husband is a Wizard."

Renee stared at him for a long time, the look on her face blank and hard to read. It was only when Tobias started laughing that the life came back to her face.

"YEAH RIGHT DAD!" Raven's brother was roaring with laughter, holding his gut.

"A wizard? Where on earth is this coming from dear? Are you alright?" Renee asked, lowering her fork to her plate. David nodded at her, offering his hand to his wife.

"All of you, come with me. There is something I need to show you."

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><p>David had led his family up to his office at home. Most of the time no one was allowed to go in there, but now it was fair game. He ushered them into the room, Raven still held the letter in her hands. It looked like a normal office, except there were a few things that looked out of place. A wand sat neatly on the desk next to a quill and inkwell while on the other side were a few picture frames. The people inside them moved.<p>

Slowly Renee moved to one of the pictures, slowly picking it up. Inside was a younger version of them, they were seated in the park, in the picture David was repeatedly showering her with a kiss while the picture was taken. Raven's mother stared at the picture, watching it replay like a short movie before lifting her head to look at David.

"This is the picture I asked you about … you said you lost it." Renee locked eyes with him, her husband looking slightly ashamed. Tobias took hold of an old copy of The Daily Prophet, looking on the front page of a crazy looking man waving a sign and silently screaming back at the viewer. The date on the paper was from years ago.

"Wow Dad! Are these little mini TVs or something?" He held up the paper to his father, where he looked it over, reading the headline 'Prisoner Escapes!' silently to himself.

"No son, these are magical photographs, they're different from the ones that you are used to."

"You're not joking … you're really a wizard?" His wife stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? All these years..."

"I knew you wouldn't understand Renee, that's why I didn't say anything."

"I would have tried to understand! You could have tried to tell me!" Renee shouted out, looking clearly upset with her husband at the moment. Raven looked between her parents, Tobias smirking as he whipped his father's wand around.

"Mom … Dad..." Raven held the letter up between them, her father looking down at it before her mother returned the same look. David glanced to his wife, offering a small smile to her before looking to Raven.

"Go on dear what does it say?" He asked her, her mother leaning in to listen to the letter. Raven began to read off the letter, it going on about she had been accepted into the school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It gave a list of the things she needed, things she could bring. At the end of the letter it was signed with the current Headmaster's name. This was it, it explained so much.

All the stuff that had been going on around her, the mysterious occurrences. It wasn't because she was presumably a psychic, it was because she was a witch! Her father for years had hidden the fact that he was a wizard, had given up using magic to live a normal life with his muggle wife. And now, she was presented with an answer, an opportunity to understand what she was. She was so excited she was shaking.

"Hey Dad, does this mean that I'm a wizard too? Am I gonna use magic?" Tobias looked up at his father, still waving it around before it got snatched away by his mother.

"You could be. We'll see when you turn eleven, hmm?" His father smiled at him, turning his attention to his wife as he was met with a stern stare.

"Witchcraft David? No. No no a thousand times no! This kind of stuff is dangerous!" Renee frowned shaking her head as she looked at the wand she had taken from her son.

"This is different Honey. This isn't the witchcraft you read about or hear about people doing. No this is much different, an entirely different world!" David spoke calmly, trying to convince his wife. Renee looked down at her daughter who held the letter in her hands. She held a strong look of concern.

"Raven dear, have you been … experiencing any of this magical stuff your father's babbling on about?"

"I … this is actually what I wanted to talk about at dinner..." Raven looked sheepishly up at her mother. Renee stared back down at her, then looked to her husband who still held that smile.

"Come with us when we get her supplies dear. I'll show you there's nothing to worry about." He nodded to her, a small frown forming on his face. "I know I should have told you sooner, I just hope you can forgive me."

Renee looked between her daughter and husband, remaining silent for a long moment before throwing her hands up in obvious surrender. "Fine! I'll go! But if I see so much as one dangerous thing going down, it's you and me mister. Thunder Dome."

She glared at her husband, poking him hard in the chest before storming out. He had successfully defused a rather bad situation, his wife was indeed frightening when she was angry. David gave a small gulp before placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder, looking down at her with a nervous smile.

"Well, let's get your response letter sent."

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><p><strong>NevermoreRaven: <strong>Natalie, are you online?

**Catlady21: **I'm here. What's up? :O

**NevermoreRaven: **You'll never guess what happened!

**Catlady21: **amg

**Catlady21: **Your parents didn't take it well? I'm sorry.:(

**NevermoreRaven: **No no nothing even remotely like that.

**NevermoreRaven: **I was about to explain it to them at dinner when we got a late letter delivered. Some place called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It turns out that apparently I'm a witch! My dad is a wizard or something and that explains why I've been experiencing those odd things lately.

**NevermoreRaven: **… Nat?

**Catlady21: **I'm sorry. I was trying to defuse the stupidity of this situation. :P

**NevermoreRaven: **Natalie I'm telling the truth! Have you ever known me to lie about something this serious?

**Catlady21: **No I guess not. This sounds like a lot to take in though. :/

**NevermoreRaven: **I know, but Dad's real excited about this. We sent my response letter back. Get this, an OWL TOOK IT.

**Catlady21: **An owl? Did you get it back?

**NevermoreRaven: **No no, the owl DELIVERS the mail.

**Catlady21: **HAHA! NO WAY! IT'S LIKE A CARRIER PIDGEON EXCEPT FOR OWLS! LOL!

**NevermoreRaven: **Thanks for your support Nat... It's late so I'll talk to you tomorrow.

**Catlady21: **HAHAHA!

**NevermoreRaven has gone offline.**

Raven sighed as she signed out, standing up from her computer while she glanced about her room once more. It was still summer, she had a while to get things together. Honestly she wasn't even sure how to use the magic that she had inherited from her father. Before now she didn't really believe in magic, but now there was no denying it. She wondered what this school was going to be like, what kind of people went there. She had no idea what the place even looked like.

She tilted her head at her monitor, slowly sitting back down to place her hands on the keyboard. She opened up the web browser, going to the nearest search engine and typed in the name of the school. Nothing was coming up, not even any pictures. Raven glared off to the side pushing away from her desk and standing only to move to her bed and land face down onto it. Something seemed kinda fishy if the whole internet didn't know anything about the school, but if her father was enthusiastic about it, nothing would be wrong, right?


	2. The Train to a Beginning

**Author's Note: **In order to better write this story I've decided to start listening to HP:DH P1 OST. I think it's working pretty well, I hope!**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**The Train to a Beginning**

"The Leaky Caldron?" Tobias looked up at the sign above the door in the alley. Renee stood with her family, arms crossed as she still looked disgruntled at the prospect of her daughter doing witchy things. David led his family in, his son covering his nose as he looked around the small pub.

"Gross, it smells like old people and dirt..." Her son muttered under his breath getting promptly kicked in the back of the knee by his sister and tumbling to the ground. "OW!"

"You two stop it! We're in a public place!" Renee scolded her children as they were led into what looked like a dead end room.

"Way to go Dad, you led us to a dead end." Tobias muttered, his sister glaring daggers at him. Little brothers were so stupid.

"Just wait." David calmed his son pulling out his wand from his robes he decided to put on traditionally and muttered words of incantation. The wall suddenly shifted, bricks moving out of the way, folding back and out of the way to show the scene before them. Raven's eyes lit up with the sight of the scene before her, a path that led into a small alleyway and the crowd of people that were already there. Many people in cloaks and pointed hats walked in and out of stores, some were families getting their children ready for the new year. There were owls on the street corners and broomsticks leaned against a display window.

Renee stared in awe at the sight of a person using their wand to levitate a sign into place, the sign reading something about wands being on sale. Her husband really wasn't joking. This was real, so very real. She tried to keep herself from fainting from initial shock, she reaching down and tugging at Tobias' hand to keep him closer to her. Her son quickly let out a protested whine.

"You have your list Raven?" David smiled down at his daughter as she nodded, holding up the list of books and items she would need. Her father smiled and gently took the paper from her, looking to the wand shop. "We'll get you your wand first."

"I want one!" Tobias called out to his father while he struggled with the death grip his mother had on his wrist.

"Not till you're older son." David sighed, shaking his head. He wasn't too sure he should give him one even when he became of age to use it. He brought his family down the crowded street as the wall closed up behind them. Many people stopped, looking at them as if they were new people. Of course the rest of his family was, but David had been here before, though he hadn't visited since the day he married Renee. It was going to be interesting if anyone would recognize him now.

He brought them into the small store where the wand sign had been placed, Ollivander's wand shop which amazingly he still ran. He normally wasn't in the shop these days, but since it was becoming close to school time he worked at the shop a little more. He loved the look children got when they were set up with their first wand. The man had his back turned as he leaned behind his desk, stocking up a new shipment of wands and making sure they were set perfect. He only turned around when David cleared his throat to get his attention.

"O-Oh! Pardon me! I was setting up stock! What can I do for you?" Mr. Ollivander smiled at the small family, David grinning as he pushed his daughter forward.

"Hey Mr. Ollivander, we're here for some supplies and Raven's new wand." Raven's father patted her shoulder, she looked a little nervous.

"Oh … You look familiar. Ah yes! Little David Taylor! I remember when I gave you your first wand! Where have you been boy?" Even as he talked, the old man got to work pulling out potential wands for the new student.

"Heh, it's a long story." David gave a nervous smile as he reached behind his head and scratched it for a distraction.

"Say no more, I won't ask. You have a lovely family though, such a beautiful woman must be your wife!"

"Yeah, this is my wife Renee and my son Tobias. He'll be coming here in a couple years."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Ollivander." Renee gave a uncertain nod to the man as he placed a final box on the counter. He took the tops off each one, to the normal muggle eye they looked like simple sticks carved to a design. To a witch or wizard, they were instruments of magic.

"Alright Miss Taylor, go ahead and try what one you like. We'll see which one chooses you." The old man gave her a kind smile.

"Chooses me?" Raven asked, slowly picking one out of the box.

"Yes child, a witch does not choose her wand, the wand chooses her. It is just up to the witch to find it. Now then, give it a flick, see what happens."

"Alright..." Raven looked at the dark colored wand, giving it a small flick before something on the opposite wall burst into flames. She dropped the wand, looking at Ollivander with a look of panic and shock while he rushed to put out the fire.

"It's alright dear, these things will happen. It seems Dragon Heartstring is not the right core for you." The old man laughed, picking up the wand she dropped and placed it back in the box. Raven continued to try wands, nothing really seemed to hitch until he brought out a final one. He seemed a little flustered, but still kept that kind look on his face as he handed the slender wand to her.

"This is the last one that I can issue to new students, give it a try." He said calmly. Raven nodded giving the wand a more cautious flick thanks to the previous encounters. The end of the wand sparked a brilliant, almost rainbow color, and nothing in the room exploded or burst into flames.

"Looks like we've found your match young lady, Dual core of Unicorn Hair and Fairy Wing in Rosewood. Not a bad match up, I see a Ravenclaw on your hands David." Ollivander grinned at her father as he wrapped the wand up. Ravenclaw? Raven looked up at her father who was beaming with pride. It was only when he noticed her confused look did he give her an explanation.

"Oh, right. Hogwarts is split up between four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. You'll learn more about them when you get to school dear. I can't teach you everything!" David let out a loud guffaw and caused Raven to try and hide away behind the counter. Her dad was so embarrassing sometimes. After her father had paid for the wand (He left what money he had in the bank when he moved on, surprisingly it built up enough interest to be useable again.) they moved along from shop to shop, buying all the supplies she needed. Renee questioned her husband as to why they had their own currency, but all David did was smile and pat his wife on the head. He ended up thrown into a broomstick display moments later.

They got to their final stop, the Owl Emporium. The moment Raven stepped in she was filled with amazement. She always adored owls for their wise demeanor that they seemed to give off. All over there were different kinds of owls, barn owls, great horned owls. She couldn't help but laugh at one of the white owls who when she looked at it, it's beak opened slightly and it's eyes went wide as if giving a look that said 'Oh really?'.

She looked around at all of them before her eyes fell upon one that captivated her. It was a snowy owl, male and while one eye was yellow, the other looked slightly discolored. There was a scar under the feathers around that eye. It was a shame that his eye was injured, he looked absolutely beautiful.

"Dad, I want this one. I don't care what's wrong with him." She looked up at her father who glanced at the the owl. He smiled a little, placing his hand on her head.

"Are you sure?"

"His name is Par." Raven said with affirmation in her voice.

"Alright my little lady knows what she wants." David smiled as he moved across the room to find a cage. Slowly Raven lifted her arm up, beckoning the owl to come to her. Par looked at her with his good eye before lifting off his perch and onto her arm. She smiled at the bird, petting his head with her hand.

Raven's mother and her brother were standing outside, waiting for them to come out. Tobias was tugging on his mother's hand as he begged to be let on a broomstick. Renee promptly glared at her son, her expression all she needed to let him know her answer. Raven came out of the shop with her father, Par safely in his cage and her messenger bag strap over her shoulder. Her mother smiled at her, taking in the image of her daughter with the platinum blonde hair that covered her face and reached down to her rear.

She always wanted to give her a hair cut or at least style it, but Raven never let her. She preferred the natural length and look her hair gave off. It was odd seeing her daughter dressed in this way, but Renee Anderson was an understanding person, and so was Renee Taylor. With a small sigh she looked to David as he smiled at her.

"Well, got everything?" Her mother asked. Raven nodded, looking as excited as ever. Renee's eyes traveled back to David's, and slowly she held her hand out to him. For once she had a look of happiness in her eyes. Raven's father quickly took to his wife's side, holding her hand lovingly in his own. David aimed to please her, and was rewarded with her smiles when he was successful. Giving his wife a kiss on the cheek and getting a disgusted whine from his son, David led his family back to where they had come from. Raven smiled at her owl as she carried his cage above the ground.

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><p>The season soon began to change. The once green leaves of the trees were turning gold and orange with the coming of autumn. Autumn was Raven's favorite season, she simply adored the colors the fall brought with it. Up in her room she had everything she thought she needed packed and ready to go. All the essential electronics, her laptop so she could keep in touch with her friends. She tucked her cellphone away into her purse and adjusted her glasses over those gray eyes of hers.<p>

With her hair and eye color, her uniform was going to make her look like a walking depression. She would just have to wear some earrings or some kind of jewelery to make herself look more happy instead of just feeling it. She was ready to go, dressed in her temporary uniform until she was sorted into her proper house. Her closet had been nearly stripped clean of clothing since she knew she was going to a type of boarding school. Some of her pictures from her desk she had packed away as well.

"Come on then Raven! You don't want to miss the train!" Raven's father called from downstairs. Raven responded to him as she gathered up everything she could carry on her own.

"Tobias, get the last of your sister's things." Renee shoved her son to the stair as Raven came down and past them.

"Aw come on!" He whined but did as he was told, stomping up the stairs to get the bags she couldn't get on her own. Once the car was packed and everyone managed to squeeze in, Raven held Par's cage in her lap in the back while Renee got in the front next to her husband. David had been teaching his wife the things he should have long ago about magic and the world she didn't know about. With this new understanding of it she had become more accustom to the use of magic, and even allowed David to use it within the home. She had come a long way from being a magic novice to semi educated about it.

It was quite a drive to the station, the entire time Raven stared at the ticket for the train she had gotten. Platform nine and three quarters? What kind of station was this? David got out of the car and got a cart to load her things on it once they had arrived. The last to sit on it was Par's cage. Raven took hold of the cart and pushed it down as they walked down each platform.

Seven, eight, nine, no nine and three quarters. Raven looked through her hair at the the space between the nine and the ten platforms. Her eyes then moved to the space between the nine and the eight. Nothing was there either. She looked up to her father, who gave a small smirk and placed his finger to his lips.

He took hold of her cart, aiming it at one of the pillars near the platforms. Everyone gave him an odd stare, then he reached, taking hold of Raven's hand and suddenly shoving her with him towards the pillar. Her eyes went wide as they barreled towards the pillar, her dad had gone insane! She waited for impact, closing her eyes but slowly opened them when nothing happened. She looked about at the sign above the platform.

"Nine and three quarters." She read aloud, then her head lowered to look around at the people gathered near the train. Along the side of the engine and the cars she could read the weathered text of "Hogwarts Express" on them. There were people getting aboard the train, parents waving goodbye to their children and leading the first years onto the train. Raven's mother and brother soon followed, Renee looking a little disheveled having walked through a wall but was alright none the less. With a bright smile David put his hand on her shoulder once more, looking at the train with reminiscence.

"You ready?" He asked her, Raven nodded slowly as she backed up into his arms. She said she was ready, but this was the first time she would be away from her family. She finally realized that. David smiled, turning her around and kneeling a little as he kissed her forehead.

"You're going to be fine Raven. You can write me letters every day and I'll write back. You'll be back home before you know it." He smiled and stood, taking his daughter into his arms. She couldn't help it, she wrapped her arms tight around him, closing her eyes as she began to sob a little into his chest.

"What a crybaby." Tobias rolled his eyes, his mother bonking him on the head in response. Slowly Raven peeled herself away from her father, he smiling at her as he moved some hair out of her face.

"I love you Raven, I know you're going to be a wonderful witch and I'll be rooting for you even from afar."

"T-Thanks Dad..." She gave a small hiccup, rubbing her eyes under her glasses.

"Now, go on and find a seat, I'll have them take your trunks." David walked with her to the train car, her mother and brother waving at her as she left. With his help she stepped into the car, he waving at her as she was pushed along by other kids getting in. With her messenger bag over her shoulder, she quickly found an empty room to sit. She looked out the window as she saw her father standing back waving at her. She frowned, placing her hand against the window.

Raven had always been close to her father. She never thought how this would effect her leaving her family for months. The train whistle blew as the conductor called to clear the platforms to avoid danger. David stepped back and blew her a kiss through the window. She smiled for a moment, then flinched as the train cars jerked forward. Slowly the train pulled forward, and the image of her father was being pulled away.

She watched as far as she could, once his figure was completely gone she pulled away from the window, her frown deepening and her eyes becoming hidden behind the sheen of her glasses. She tried her best to keep her emotions hidden but it wasn't enough. She quickly stood and shut the door to her section of the car. Once she had done so she sat down and cried into her hands.

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><p>Hours had passed since they had left King's Crossing. Raven still remained in her box, leaning against the window as she stared outside at the trees. She was certainly living up to her look of depression. Laughter filled the small hallway as a few kids ran by, one of them stopped however, looking into her room. He knocked on the window of her door, Raven's eyes shifting to the door before she pushed herself up and opened it. The boy looked at her with a small smile, shaggy brown hair with eyes to match. He looked a little older then her, perhaps by a year or two.<p>

"Are you alright? You look like your owl died." The boy's eyes then traveled over her standard uniform. "Oh! You're a First Year! No wonder you look so down in the dumps!"

Raven remained silent, using the back of her hand to wipe away dried tears. A useless attempt to hide her sadness. The boy frowned a little before he stepped into the box, taking the seat across from hers. She glanced at him a moment, then slowly took the seat across from him as well as he motioned for her to sit.

"You miss your parents already, don't you?" He asked her, she nodded silently. The boy smirked slightly. "You're kinda like my little brother. This is his first year as well. But you know, everyone is a little sad their first time leaving their family. I was as well!"

"Eh?" Raven glared at him from behind the curtain of hair over her face.

"Yup! My first year I was pretty scared too. But once you get there it's great! You should see it there! It's huge!" He laughed as he waved his arms out in front of him, trying to mimic the size of the school. Raven's frown was starting to change to a smile as she watched and listened to the boy explain what the school was going to be like. He made jokes that made her laugh, explained what would happen once they got there. This boy had made her feel much better about having to leave. The two laughed together as he explained how to correctly fling a chocolate frog into one's hair.

"Come on James!" A voice called down from the small hall, the boy lifting his head to the voice.

"Oh right, I forgot about my friends for a moment there! See you around!" He stood quickly and waved at her, stepping out from the doorway and rushed down the hall.

"O-Oh … bye?" Raven tilted her head out the door, smiling lightly. She hoped that she would see that boy again soon when they got to the school. As of now she didn't really know anyone and he was the first person to come up to her. She pulled her head back into the room and closed the door, sitting now in the middle of her seat as she glanced out the window. The window didn't represent the things she was losing, for the meantime it was a window to something new.

Raven was going to put herself to the test. She was going to make her father proud.


	3. Working as Intended

**Author's Note: **Since it's not really clear if the process of First Years entering the school has been changed or not, (and I highly doubt it changed too much.) I'm trying to stick to the traditional method that the students from the 90's went through. Also while I am enjoying writing about the Potter and Weasely children, I'm going to try and keep their contact with the main character limited. This is a story about an OC's journey, not theirs. If at most they will be on friendly greetings and an occasional meeting. I may change this in the future if I want them to get more involved.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**Working as Intended**

Her head dipped here and there as the train ride was reaching its final moments. The ride was long and it was now dark outside where it had been light before she had left at eleven that morning. Excited, nervous, Raven had hardly gotten any sleep the night before, and the rhythmic movements of the train barreling down the tracks was finally beginning to put her to sleep. She finally started to nod off when suddenly the train started to halt, making her lurch forward off the seat. She caught herself by grasping the smaller sill of the window.

The voice over the intercom called out their arrival to Hogwarts Castle and with excitement Raven tried to look out of her window for it. The way James had described it was nothing compared to the actual view. She couldn't see the whole thing from her part of the train but what she could see the castle was amazing! The train came to a final stop and out in the hall students began to pile into the aisle in her car. Raven stood, pulling her messenger bag over her shoulder.

The group from earlier passed by her door as she opened it the young boy from before smiling and giving a wave as if beckoning her to follow. Raven quickly rushed out the door after him and his small group of friends, moving behind him as they began to head out. The small station they were at was lit brightly with lanterns, people crowding out while some starting going separate ways.

"Over there is where you'll be heading." James pointed off towards the front of the train where a rather large man towered over everyone. He was holding a lit lantern up high to guide new students.

"Er … who's that?" Raven frowned as she glanced at the man from behind James.

"That's Hagrid. He's real good friends with my dad." James grinned, lifting his hand and waving at the giant bearded man. Hagrid smiled, the skin near the corner of his eyes wrinkling into crow's feet and he had a twinkle in his eyes.

"He looks kinda scary." She muttered, her grip on the strap of her messenger bag tightening.

"He's not. He's really a big softy." The boy snickered lightly and stopped, causing Raven to come to a quick halt. "Just follow him, I'm sure you'll see my brother and cousin there too."

"Alright..." Raven sighed, then glanced at him slightly. "My name is Raven by the way, Raven Taylor."

"James Potter."

"Thanks for earlier James... I feel a little silly now that I think about it." Raven looked down as a blush of embarrassment formed on her cheeks. He must have thought of her as a smaller child now that she replayed her earlier actions in her head.

"Don't worry about it. Now go on then! And if you see my brother tell him he's going into Slytherin!" James laughed as he headed the other way to catch up with his friends. Raven watched him run off before giving a light sigh, heading towards the towering man known as Hagrid. She fell into place as she thought over what her hopefully new found friend said. She still didn't know the differences between the houses other than Slytherin were cunning, Gryffindor were brave, Ravenclaw were tactical, and Hufflepuff were loyal. Assuming she was pretty smart, she'd probably be put into Ravenclaw.

"Alright children, gather 'round!" Hagrid's gruff voice carried over the crowd as he tried to get everyone to calm down. All of the First years except a few quieted down. Raven still looked rather terrified of the half giant, and stayed at the back of the crowd behind a girl with somewhat curly orange hair.

"Now then, jus' watch yer steps, three to a boat! Don' worry there's enough room fer everyone!" The half giant smiled as he began helping the students into the boats, Raven was near the last ones, she watched with the boats were already heading out over the water. Hagrid got to the two people before her, he smiling and seeming to adore the boy and the girl, a tear twinkling in his eye. She remained standing back, looking at him with wary eyes.

"Ah, look at ya, ye look jus' like yer father." Hagrid smiled at the boy, the black haired boy giving him a nervous smile as he stared up at him. Hagrid began to help the two into a boat, he got to Raven and she promptly backed away and stepped into the boat herself. Once she was seated the boat began to move forward followed by the larger boat Hagrid was in. Hagrid's boat moved at a faster pace to catch up to the front of the group, leaving their boat and a few others at the back.

"This is exciting, don't you think?" The orange haired girl smiled over at the boy, he looking happy but nervous at the same time.

"I hope Dad's right about the Sorting Hat." The boy let out an anxious sigh, his hands in his lap as he stared at the lamp's refection on the water.

"Sorting hat?" Raven cut in, she had never heard of that before.

"The Sorting Hat is what determines what house we get put into." The girl smiled with that tidbit of information. Raven blinked at the astounding image of a hat determining where she was going to be placed, but then again she was new to this magic thing, so she wasn't too surprised of such a baffling situation.

"That's a little odd." Raven spoke out loud, forgetting she was in a boat with two other people.

"You're not from a wizard family, are you?"

"Oh, er … not really. I always thought I was just normal."

"You mean a Muggle?" The boy asked.

"Muggle?" Raven again had a confused look. She heard her dad say it a few times during their visit to Diagon Alley. He would normally say it when referring to her mother.

"Non-magic folk, normal humans. Are you Muggle-born?" The girl again offered an explanation. Raven nodded lightly with understanding. She was learning so much already and she wasn't even in the school yet.

"O-Oh, no. My father is a wizard, my mom is … Muggle." Raven stumbled on the word. She wasn't quite used to saying the recent word in her vocabulary.

"You're a half-blood then. So are we!" The boy smiled as he looked over at the girl. "My dad is half-blood, and her mom is Muggle-born!"

Raven gave a small smile of relief to hear that there were more people like her. Sort of anyway. The boat grew silent now as they were fast approaching the dock on the school side. Raven looked down at the floor of the boat before lifting her head to look at them.

"My name is Raven Taylor by the way." She spoke with a soft voice, her volume cracking slightly in the middle as if she wasn't sure she should have spoke at all.

"I'm Rose Weasley, this is my cousin Albus Potter." The girl spoke for the boy who seemed to be having a shy streak again.

"Albus … you're James' brother he talked about, aren't you?" Raven gave a small smile, she didn't expect to meet more of the Potter family this fast.

"Ah yeah! You've met my brother already?"

"On the train … I … missed my parents so he cheered me up a little." Raven stared at the floor of the boat once more her hair falling over her face to hide her look of embarrassment.

"It's alright, we felt the same way. We'll see them again soon though, Christmas is just around the corner!" Rose gave her a reassuring smile, Albus doing the same. Raven lifted her head, giving a genuine smile in return. Maybe she wasn't so alone in this as she thought.

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><p>The boats docked at the platform near the school. While Hagrid helped children out of the boats a teacher began to lead the first years in the building. Once again Raven avoided Hagrid's help by traveling to the far end of her boat and climbing out on her own. They were all gathered into a room while the teacher stood in the front. Raven could hear the sound of someone giving a speech in the distance behind the door. The reality of what was about to happen starting to sink in.<p>

While behind her Albus was growing nervous of the potential he would be placed in Slytherin, another girl at her side seemed to be disturbingly calm. She had black hair that came just below her shoulders, bangs that were cut in a strait line, sectioned here and there and covered her eyes just slightly. She had a pale complexion and deep green eyes which seemed to stare ahead at the closed door from behind her bangs. Raven found herself staring at her stalwart demeanor, and only came to a stop when the girl's head suddenly turned, looking at her as if looking through her. Raven suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"You are nervous as well?" The girl asked in a soft voice. Raven grit her teeth with a small nod. A light smile played on her pale lips as her attention turned back to the door, her hands hiding beneath her cloak as she kept it wrapped around her.

"There is no need to be nervous if you know exactly what house you want to be placed in." She said with an almost dignified tone.

"Is it really that easy?" Raven asked.

"Slytherin is the house I am going to be placed in. I have already decided it. If you truly believe the house you choose is the one you belong in, it will most indeed be so." The girl continued to speak. "Alice Carinana, before you ask, Miss Taylor."

"How did you-"

"You've been introducing yourself to nearly everyone on the way here." Alice made her observation point. This girl spoke in a far more mature tone then her body was, this still made Raven uncomfortable. Her head lowered as her eyes were covered by the curtain of platinum blonde hair.

"Do not think of me as belittling you, Raven. My tone of voice tends to make people think I am speaking ill of them." Alice gave a small sigh, then turned her attention back to Raven. "I am quite nice once you get to know me."

"Oh no … I didn't think. I'm sorry I'm a little nervous about this whole placement thing." Raven confided, jumping a little when the doors opened to the Great Hall. Inside this hall was a wondrous sight, the entire hall was lit with candles as a majority of them levitated in the air. Four long tables that stretched the length of the hall was filled with plates and drinking goblets and at each table sat the students that were already a part of their houses. The students turned, looking to the First years with smiles on their faces while the children were line up into two rows. Raven fell into place next to people she didn't know, while Alice and Albus were near the beginning, and Rose was near the back.

They moved down the middle of the tables until they came to a stop at a stool with a beaten old witch hat sitting on it. Raven curiously looked around the people in front of her to get a better look. Suddenly the old hat sprung to life, singing a song about the founders of each house. She watched in amazement, causing a few of the upper years to giggle at her gawking. Once the hat stopped, Raven shifted herself to stand normally.

It soon began calling the names of the students in alphabetic order, it getting to Alice once it got to the C's of the list. Alice walked calmly to the stool, sitting down on it while she place her hands in her lap. Slowly the hat was placed on her head, the leathery headgear seeming to think upon something. She never changed her expression, didn't even look worried. Alice just sat on the stool, awaiting the answer she knew was coming.

"Slytherin!" The hat suddenly burst out and the students of the corresponding table burst into applause. When the hat was lifted off her head she slid off the stool, turned and thanked the hat before smiling at Raven and headed to the Slytherin table. More students proceeded before her, including Albus. She wasn't sure but she thought she heard the hat say Gryffindor. It then got to her, she stepping up to the stool before sitting down on it, staring at the crowd.

Among the crowd at the Gryffindor table Raven could see James. He smirked and gave her a wave, his actions quickly causing the friends surrounding him to snicker and tease him. The hat placed on her head, Ravens eyes closed quickly, trying to clear her mind of any emotions.

"Smart and witty, yet kind and understanding. Placing you into a house is certainly a challenge. You seem to have the best potential in every house. However you can only be in one, so which would be best for you." The hat spoke, but it seemed like only she could hear it's words. She tried to keep her mind free, but her thoughts kept traveling to Ravenclaw.

"Your mind is calling to be placed in the house of Ravenclaw. Yes, a mind that is already molded and is thirst for knowledge. I do believe it is the right house. RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted, startling Raven once more. The Ravenclaw table cheered and the hat was removed from her head. She looked like a deer caught in headlights for the first few moments before she wandered aimlessly towards her table. It was ironic now that she thought about it. A girl named Raven in the Ravenclaw house. She didn't know if she had been part of a cruel joke, or it was just coincidence.

The rest of the sorting was done and the headmaster called for the Welcoming Feast to commence. With a wave of their hand the once empty plates were now magically filled to the brim with food. Raven, unsure if it was even real food, began picking at some of the roast beef with her fork. A boy across the table from her grinned as he stabbed at a boiled potato on his plate.

"It's real food, don't worry. The House Elves down below cook it and it's brought up here with magic." The boy said with a smile. Raven glanced at him for only a moment before quickly stuffing the slice of meat into her mouth. She hadn't eaten the whole train ride and wasn't really aware of how hungry she really was. After a few moments of stuffing her face she was startled with a tap to her shoulder. Alice stood behind her, an oddly kind smile on her face.

"Congratulations on getting into Ravenclaw. I almost considered it, but I do like Slytherin the best." She placed her hands in front of her lap as she stood there. Raven nodded in response, a smile on her own face.

"I hope it made the right choice." Raven turned her body a little to face Alice.

"The Sorting Hat always makes the right choice. If it believes you belong in Ravenclaw, then you belong there." The girl spoke with that hauntingly calm voice. "Well then, see you at potions class tomorrow."

"Um … alright." Raven watched as Alice seemed to glide away, robe billowing out behind her. She returned to look down at her plate, it had either been magically refilled or someone must have put more food on her plate. She continued to eat for a while until the Headmaster called for their attention. They gave the final speech to the students, laying down the rules for the First years, pointing out what to do afterwords and to follow their house prefects. Once the news and briefs were given, the Headmaster waved their hand and dismissed the students for bed.

Raven wasn't quite finished with dessert, she watched at the Ravenclaw table stood to move out to the entrance of the hall to find the Prefect. She frowned reaching out to obtain one more cream puff from the table snatching one before the food on the plates magically cleared, back to the kitchens to be stored or disposed of she assumed. She stuffed the small confection into her mouth and traveled up to the group of Ravenclaws as they gathered around the older student. The Prefect called for First years to stay close while those of higher years moved on their own, knowing where to go. Raven swallowed the remains of her food in her mouth hard, following while they were lead up a thin staircase up Ravenclaw tower.

They soon stopped before a large door with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker on it. The Prefect began to explain the way to enter the common rooms. A riddle was to be given to the one wishing to enter. If they were to answer correctly, they would gain access to the common room and the dormitories, if they answered wrong they would have to try again or wait for someone else to get it correct. Each time the riddle would be different, making those of the Ravenclaw house use their logic to gain entrance. With that the Prefect cleared his throat and used the knocker to start the riddle.

"How can you leave a room with two legs and return with six legs?" The knocker sprang to life as it told the riddle. The students looked around at each other, discussing potential answers.

"Transform into an insect!" One student called out. The door did not open. Raven stared down at the floor before she rose her hand to answer. She always rose her hand to answer questions in public school. This was a school as well so the habit must have stuck.

"If you leave a room with two legs and come back with six, then you must have brought a chair or table with you. For chairs have four 'legs' and we have two. That would equal returning to a room with six legs." Raven even went into detail of explaining her answer. With that answer they heard the door lock click and it swung back as it opened. The Prefect smiled at Raven, giving her a small applause.

"Very good Miss Taylor. I see we're going to have a Prefect in you sometime in the future." The boy grinned, but Raven only nodded. She wasn't exactly sure what a Prefect was, or what they did. This was something she'd have to look for in the library, if they had one anyway. What was she talking about, of course they would, this was a school! What kind of school wouldn't have a library?

Raven looked around the common room as they entered. It had graceful arched windows, and on the walls were hung blue and bronze silks. The domed ceiling was painted with beautiful stars, which echoed in the midnight-blue carpet like a mirror. Tables, chairs, and bookcases covered the expanse of the floor, and a white-marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of the Ravenclaw house, sat next to the door that led to the dormitories above. This room was like something Raven would have read in a fairy tale book or maybe a sophisticated architectural magazine.

While most First years hung around the common room, Raven found her way to the female dorms. She found her trunks and things neatly placed next to a bed near a window, and laid out on the bed was her Ravenclaw uniform, along with her robe and a few extra uniforms. She took the small pile of uniforms and placed them into one of her trunks, laid the last one out for classes tomorrow. Near her pillow she found a piece of parchment paper that showed her schedule for tomorrow. She took the parchment and placed it on her side table, this school was so old fashioned.

With those things done, Raven finally had time to relax. A full stomach, nervousness subsided for now, Raven reached into her messenger bag and pulled out her phone. It was turned off, funny she didn't remember turning it off. She tried turning it on, it gave no signs of life. She grumbled under her breath about the batteries being dead and searched in her bag for the charger.

She pulled the long cord out, glancing around the room for an outlet. There was none what-so-ever. Perhaps one was hidden behind a table? She didn't bother to look for now already a little irritated by her phone dying. She reached into her trunk and pulled out her laptop, opening it up and pressing the power button. Again nothing happened.

"Aw, what the HECK?" Raven began slamming her power button on the laptop. She knew she charged this thing before she left, she didn't even use it on the train! There was no way it could be out of batteries so soon! As Raven wrestled with the electronic one of the Ravenclaw students came up to the dorm. She stopped in the doorway, looking at her with a confused stare before clearing her throat. Raven's head lifted as she gave a embarrassed blushed.

"I'm sorry, I was just … trying to get my laptop to work..." Raven frowned, slamming the lid of it shut.

"It won't work here." The girl said, sitting down on the bed across from hers.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a Muggle made item, right? Muggle products don't work here." The girl frowned sympathetic at her, Raven's look of shock seemed to strike her.

"Y-You mean … nothing? Not even my phone?" Raven stuttered out.

"Nope, you're gonna have to communicate the old fashioned way, by quill and parchment!" While still looking rather sympathetic for her, she smiled as she began to get dressed into her pajamas. Raven looked like she was struck by a board, a disgruntled look on her face as she seemed to stare into nothing. No internet, no phone, there wasn't even TVs here! She was going to die of pure boredom.


	4. The First Day

**Author's Note: **Horray for umbrellas!**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

**The First Day**

Raven looked like she had gotten hardly any sleep. It was true for the most part, her distress over not being able to use any of her electronics caused her sleep to be restless. She had just managed to fall into a deeper sleep when she was woken up for breakfast. She now sat at the breakfast table, poking at the eggs on her plate with her piece of toast while her hand held up her chin. It was hard to see her eyes from behind her hair or glasses, and yet somehow she managed to draw the attention of Alice, who moved from the Slytherin table to hers. Normally students were to eat at their own tables, but friends in other houses, they were allowed to move to converse and were restricted to their house table only at formal dining events.

"You look rather pensive this morning Miss Taylor." Alice sat down next to her, reaching across from her for some pancakes. Raven's head lifted as the yoke broke on her egg.

"I couldn't really sleep." She sighed, leaning off the table and letting her head fall back.

"Technology trouble?" Alice poured syrup over her pancakes.

"Wuh … how did you-"

Before Raven even had a chance to finish, Alice pointed to her cellphone on the other side of her plate. Raven stared down at her cellphone before swiping it up and throwing it into her messenger bag. Her friend made no sound other then the light sip of orange juice from her goblet.

"No one told me muggle things wouldn't work here..." Raven muttered, now violently stabbing at the already broken egg.

"I thought it was common knowledge among witches and wizards." Alice lowered her juice, looking at Raven with those calm green eyes.

"Er well … I didn't know." Raven's head flew forward as her hair fell about her face. The black haired girl simply took another bite of her pancakes, her eyes closed as she chewed silently. Alice was an interesting person for sure. She was hard to read at times, like you weren't sure if she was on your side or not. Raven decided not to think about it, for even for her head it was too complicated.

As they ate the sound of flapping was heard, the owls starting to deliver the morning mail. Everyone got a copy of the Daily Prophet, and others care packages or letters from home. Raven could tell Par was showing up, the snowy owl narrowly missing the floating candles and landing on the table on his feet. He knocked her orange juice over her liquified eggs. Raven sighed, staring down at her now useless plate as the owl dropped the paper and a letter into her lap.

A great horned owl swooped down by Alice, dropping her copy of the Prophet and an envelope of her own. The parchment the envelope was made of looked crisp and clean, and was addressed to her in fancy cursive handwriting. Raven stared at her own envelope, there was ink blots and finger prints on it. They looked like her brother's prints. So stupid...

"Looks like I got a letter from home already." Alice spoke as she broke the wax seal on her letter. Raven turned her envelope around, the seal on hers was smudged like it was picked up too early. The culprit was probably her brother once again. She broke the seal on her envelope, opening it and pulling out the letter within. It was from her father, he wrote of how he was so proud of her and that the letter would probably be too early but that was fine anyway.

He wrote his 'I love you's and Tobias even contributed by writing 'don't flunk' near the bottom. He must have wrote this when his father asked him to put the letter in the envelope, explaining the prints on the outside. Raven shook her head, giving a light smile as she placed the letter back into the envelope and tucking both it and the paper into her bag. Alice looked delighted with her letter, at least Raven thought she did. She thought she saw a smile on her face anyway.

"Alright students, wrap it up, classes will be starting soon!" One of the teachers called out, the students standing as they began to gather their things, finished their meals, and get one more conversation in. Raven pulled her schedule out of her bag, looking it over. Potions Class was first on the list.

"Do you know the way?" Alice asked, catching Raven off guard.

"The way to what?"

"Potions. I see it's your first class. Mine as well, care to walk together? I know the way by heart."

"Oh, um sure?" Raven nodded slowly at her, grabbing one last piece of toast before the food was magicked away to the kitchens below. Alice nodded and with that she took off down the aisle of the tables, cloak billowing out behind her as she walked. Raven quickly took off after her, biting down on the toast she had whisked away.

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><p>Raven entered the room with Alice not far behind. Alice took her seat near the front with the other Slytherins, while Raven absentmindedly took a random seat within the group of Ravenclaws. After a few moments of waiting the door in the back of the room opened. A clearly aged man moved into the room, balding head, slightly heavyset. He moved to the front of the classroom, a smile on his face as he greeted his newest students.<p>

"Good morning class, I wish to welcome you all to Potions Class. My name is Professor Horace Slughorn and I will be your teacher for this wondrous learning experience." He smiled at every student as he spoke, looking them over with a keen eye. His vision fell upon Alice, her text book already open to the page it was supposed to be on.

"It seems we have an eager student, don't we Miss..." He stopped in front of her as he spoke, listening for her name.

"Carinana professor, Alice Carinana." She spoke coolly, looking directly back at him.

"Ah yes, Miss Carinana. Ready to learn your first potion are you?"

"Actually I already know this one." She spoke again with that same tone of voice. It was somewhat intimidating. The rest of the students in the room staring at her with curiosity. Slughorn gave her a curious look as well.

"Is that so?" He reached up to rub his chin in thought.

"It's quite simple really, the Boil-Cure Potion." Alice smiled thoughtfully.

"Well then young lady, care to show us your level of expertise?"

"Most certainly Professor." She nodded to him before she pushed her book out of the way. It was like she had mapped the classroom out in her head before she even got to it, she knew where every ingredient was and how much of it she needed. Dried Nettles, crushed snake fangs, Stewed Horned Slugs, Porcupine quills and Flobberworm Mucus. The basic ingredients for the potion she had gathered with ease, laying them out before her in order of how they would be used. She moved one of the small cauldrons with the base of the potion in front of her, and began to get to work.

The cauldron began to heat up as the base turned to a red color. When this happened she turned the heat up, simmering it til it changed to a green color and then poured in the mucus until it turned pink. She followed the steps pace by pace until the last step when the concoction turned red in color.

"Wonderful wor-" Slughorn began to speak but was cut off when Alice raised her hand to silence him. She left it boiling just a little longer, and removed the flame when the potion had turned pink.

"Now, it is finished." She said, sitting back down at her seat. Raven stared with awe at Alice's professionalism. Slughorn began to clap, smiling as he did.

"A more advanced version of the cure, excellent work Miss Carinana!" He seemed to beam with pride, Raven glancing to her book with the instructions on how to make the very potion Alice had exceeded at. Potions didn't seem to hard, she could do this, no problem! Maybe not at the higher level her Slytherin friend showed, but they seemed simple enough. With their cauldrons ready, Professor Slughorn instructed them to get to work, gathering the ingredients and following the recipe, to brew the potion for themselves. Raven did as instructed, not too mediocre, but not exactly the best.

Professor Slughorn moved around the room, observing the student's work and offering small hints if needed. Once Raven was finished, she attempted to take it a step farther like Alice had did, and let it brew a little longer. She watched as the professor came closer to look at hers, she moving to take the flame away from the pot. Her face suddenly held a look of shock when the liquid inside had turned black in color and smelled awful. Slughorn moved to her seat, and immediately cringed, covering his nose in disgust.

"Good gracious! What the devil did you do?" He coughed, using his other hand to wave away the smell.

"I … I was just trying to make the better version!" Raven frowned, coughing too as she covered her nose. Slughorn grabbed a mit to lift the small cauldron of the burner, taking the defiled concoction away to be poured down the drain. Raven stared down at her desk before turning off the flame on her burner. She shouldn't have tried something that was apparently too advanced for her.

"It's alright, practice makes perfect, right? I know you have the potential for this Miss Taylor." Slughorn gave her a reassuring smile as he patted her shoulder. How did everyone know her name already? She wasn't that trigger happy with introducing herself. The bell rang out, signifying the end of first period and the students began to gather their things. Raven quickly slapped her book shut and threw it disgustedly into her bag, getting up from her table while the other students began to pour out.

As she was heading out into the hall Alice caught up with her, that hauntingly calm smile on her face. Raven simply stared at her, almost in a glare. She didn't seem to catch the slightly enraged look, and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Not everyone can get potions right you know. I can help you with them if you'd like." Alice smiled, offering her renowned services in potions tutoring.

"I'll get it right, I just need some practice is all." Raven said, refusing the help. She wasn't sure, but it almost looked like Alice frowned at the rejection. However she nodded with understanding, and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"Alright, do you know the way to your next class? I can help you find it before I head to Transfiguration."

"Herbology?" Raven read off of her schedule.

"Oh! That's one's easy. Professor Longbottom teaches that out in the greenhouses." Alice grinned, directing Raven the way to go with landmarks and classrooms to pass. She would have taken her herself but it was too out of the way for her. Raven took in the directions before wandering aimlessly through the halls of the castle.

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><p>Fifteen minutes after the bell had rung and Raven was already lost. She was found wandering the grounds, standing there motionless while she tried to figure out where she was supposed to go. Her eyes traveled to a large weathered hut with a garden growing around it. Smoke came out of the chimney, meaning someone must have been home. Maybe they could help her get back on track.<p>

She made her way to the large door, standing on her toes to use the knocker. For a moment there was silence then the door creaked open. The large gray haired man from last night had answered, looking down at her with a bright smile.

"Ah! Looks like I got another visitor!" Hagrid spoke in an ecstatic voice. Raven stared up at him, a deep frown on her face before her eyes rolled back and she hit the ground. Hagrid gave a frown in return and lowered his hands at his sides. With not so much as a word he leaned down, picking the young child up into his arms and carried her into the house. He knew he intimidated some people, but never so much like this.

It was about an hour later when the crackling of fire and small talk began to pound at her ears. Raven slowly woke up, sitting upright as she looked around. She had been taken inside the hut and inside now was a voice, a familiar voice. It was low but she could hear it as James' voice. There was another, Rose, and a much quieter one, Albus.

Raven threw the covers off herself from the bed she had been placed in and rushed to the room where she heard the voices, the three of them stopping their conversation with Hagrid once they noticed her rush in.

"Ah, thar she is. I hope I din' frighten ya too much." Hagrid said in an apologetic manner. Raven glared in his direction before sliding across the floor to sit between James and Albus.

"You've been out for at least an hour, you know that right?" James asked her in a small teasing manner. Raven didn't speak, her eyes fixated on the table behind that curtain of hair.

"You missed Professor Longbottom's class, did you get lost?" Rose asked, frowning a moment as Hagrid pushed a teacup Raven's way.

"Yeah." Raven finally spoke out.

"That's quite alright, Neville is an understandin' man." Hagrid smiled at her, pouring some tea for her. Raven took the cup in shaky hands, trying to blow on it while it would jitter in her hands.

"He was asking where you were when he took attendance. We really didn't know." Albus frowned as he looked at her. "Are you alright? You're shaking a lot."

"Huh?" Raven glanced down at her hand, the tea that had been in her cup was now half on the table. She lowered her cup while Hagrid used a tea towel to wipe up her spill. She suddenly jerked once she noticed his large hand coming near her, spilling the tea down her clothes.

"Oh come on Raven, Hagrid's like a big teddy bear! He wouldn't hurt a fly! You can't possibly still be afraid of him." James sighed at her, Raven glaring over at him while Hagrid still had that look of confusion.

"Is thar anythin' I can do ta make it more comfortable?" The large man insisted. Raven's head turned to stare back at him. He did look kind of bear like, and the smile he gave off was more welcoming then Raven had remembered. If she tilted her head, which she did, he did just look like an old, gray haired friendly bear.

"I … I'm fine." Raven finally sighed out, then glanced at the teapot. "Though … I could use a towel and more tea."

At once the Potters and the Weasley smiled at the their new friend, pleased that she was already working over her fear of their long family friend. Hagrid seemed just as delighted. He didn't wish to see people scared of him and if he could win her over, he would be happy as well. Hagrid offered the children cookies to go with their tea, Raven taking three due to her not eating breakfast that morning. The group laughed as she explained what had happened that morning.

Outside the clouds were starting to gather for rain, but that really didn't matter much to her. As she spent more time with her friends and Hagrid, got more used to being around the large man, she felt like she didn't want to leave. Most of the friends she had made were online, from the internet. Her social contact was limited to her family and whenever she had gone to public school. And yet here, with these people, she felt like she had known them all her life.

James would laugh with her, tease her here and there but it was all in sport. Rose would talk excitedly about which class she would find the most fun, and even Albus would get on the conversation, talking about the last class he was in and how it confused him if it wasn't for Rosie's help. Raven smiled as Hagrid would recall stories from the children's parents, telling them about the time Harry had first ridden on the back of a Hippogriff. James grinned, proclaiming that was what he was going to do one day, while Albus tried contemplating how that would be possible. Rose seemed fascinated with the prospect of meeting a Hippogriff in person.

"I think I remember Dad saying something about having a hippogriff." James pointed out. "Can we see him? He said he lives with you!"

"Er, well not till yer older see. Ya may be yer father's kids but I dun want ye getting hurt." Hagrid frowned, looking out the window as it started to downpour. "Plus it's rainin' now."

"Pfft." James made a small sound of annoyance before there was a knock on the door.

"Now who could that be?" Hagrid got up, moving to the door and opening it. Behind the door stood Alice, holding up a black umbrella with lace trimming. She stared up at Hagrid as thunder rumbled across the sky.

"I've come to retrieve my bird." She stated calmly. Hagrid blankly looked down at her, her eyes darting over to Raven as she leaned forward on the table.

"Alice!" Raven waved, looking more cheerful then she had been before.

"Raven, it's supper time. You already missed lunch being down here." Alice said calmly. The small family of children looked at each other as Raven gathered her bag and placed it over her shoulder. She rushed to the door, smiling as she turned to wave at James, Albus and Rose.

"See you guys later! Bye Hagrid!" Raven called out, quickly moving under Alice's umbrella for a shield from the rain. Hagrid waved, smiling as he shut the door behind them once they headed back towards the castle.

"I'm glad she got used ta me." He nodded to himself. "Well, I suppose you kids should be goin' too."

"Thank you for tea Hagrid." Albus smiled at the large man, rushing up and giving him a hug. Hagrid smiled, it was almost like he was seeing Harry once more.

* * *

><p>"Did you make it to Herbology?" Alice asked Raven as they headed up to the covered bridge. During the Battle of Hogwarts, the bridge had been destroyed like much of the castle. It was later after the war that was rebuilt and made more sturdy then it had been before.<p>

"I kinda got lost." Raven sighed, looking down as the rain slammed against the wood uncovered by the bridge's top.

"I figured you would. I'm sure your explanation will suffice enough to keep you out of trouble for now." Alice stared ahead as she spoke. Raven looked at her, not even trying to read her face cause she never really could. The two continued across the bridge, however Alice suddenly stopped once the safety of the covered bridge was taken away. For the brief moment they were in the rain again, all Raven could hear was the water hitting the fabric. Then there was a series of yells which seemed to be what Alice was focused on.

"Haha! Little Mudblood!" The sound of a few Third year Slytherins echoed over the grounds, in front of them the pushed a First year Hufflepuff. The smaller boy fell to the ground in the rain, yelping out as the Slytherin boys laughed at his misfortune.

"I don't care what the ministry says, you're all filthy!" One of the other boys spit in the Hufflepuff's direction, and suddenly was shoved back into the other Slytherins. Behind her Raven was wandering around aimlessly trying to find the bridge to avoid the rain, Alice stood between the Hufflepuff and the other Slytherins.

"What do you think you're doing Carinana?" One of the boys sneered at her.

"I will not tolerate this type of behavior against a fellow student. They are here for the same reason you are, pureblood or not." Alice's expression had changed from her once calm demeanor to a now fierce looking glare.

"Oh yeah? You're just a First year Slytherin, what are you going to do?" One of the boys moved up, pushing her back by her shoulders. It was almost like slow motion as Raven watched. She looked like she was going to fall backwards, but grabbed the top of her closed umbrella, using the hook handle to loop around the boy's foot and pull it out from under him. The first Slytherin fell, and the other two boys glared at her as she gracefully landed back on her feet. They both rushed at her.

With movement like a dancer she ducked when one tried to grab her, she using the handle of her umbrella to slam it into the others stomach. She then twirled around, smacking the final boy on the head with the less hard, yet still painful side of her umbrella. The Hufflepuff boy thanked her over and over, shaking her hand, even giving Alice a hug before rushing into the castle for safety. Raven gawked like she was pretty good at it.

"A-Alice! You … First off that was cool, but second you're going to get in trouble!" Raven cried out, rushing over to her once Alice opened her umbrella again. It's wasn't like it would be much help now that she was soaked to the bone.

"It was self defense, they made the first move by pushing me, I have two witnesses that say so." Alice looked over at her, offering once again that calm smile. "Come along then, supper time."

Raven blinked as they simply stepped over the boys, heading into the building while the three Slytherin boys groaned in pain.


	5. When You Need It

**Author's Note: **I notice it's hard to avoid something forever. Rowling never states who the new headmaster is once Minvera retires in 2017, so I've been trying to avoid having to figure out who it could be without stepping on toes. I decided to leave it for now and just create an assistant headmistress, sort of like a McGonagall twin but younger in age.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

**When You Need It**

"Miss Taylor, your attendance is required outside the classroom."

"Wuh?" Raven's head snapped up the next morning as she sat in her History of Magic class. Professor Binns lifted his ghostly hand to the door, pointing out it. She glared off to the side, she wasn't really paying attention anyway, this class was somewhat worse then what they taught in Muggle school history classes. As she got up to leave, Rose gave her a sympathetic smile. It wouldn't matter anyway, at least she didn't have to listen to more of this droning.

Raven moved outside the class shutting the door behind her before coming face to face with Alice. Next to her stood the Hufflepuff boy from yesterday. While the boy looked like he wanted to be somewhere else right now, Alice held her bag over one shoulder, looking collective and cool as she always did.

"What's going on?" Raven asked as Alice turned and began to head down the hall. The boy followed after her.

"We are needed at the Headmaster's office. Seems the boys from yesterday are a little upset they got taught a lesson and so I need my witnesses." Alice spoke, though her voice did hold a slightly annoyed tone to it.

"I guess this was as best of time as ever. I like learning this stuff and all but that class was putting me to sleep." Raven reached up to scratch her head, giving a small yawn.

"Professor Binn's class has always been a bore. The man doesn't even know he's dead." Alice looked back at Raven, covering her mouth for her when she yawned. Raven quickly closed her mouth into small pursed lips.

"He doesn't?" The Hufflepuff boy looked genuinely curious.

"They believe that when he died, he just never realized it, and got up and continued to go to work. It's quite interesting really, having worked for so long it becomes a staple in your life." She looked down at her nails a moment before they stopped in front of the large gargoyle statue. The doorway to the Headmaster's office was normally protected by a password, none of which any of them knew. Alice used her knuckles to gently rap on the stone beast's face. The statue seemed to growl when it glared at her.

"We're here for our meeting with the Headmaster. Would you let us in?" She asked it calmly. It didn't speak a word and simply slid to the side, leaving the stairway up to the office open. Slowly the three began to ascend the stairs to the office, Alice entering first followed by Raven and the other boy. The office looked cluttered with books and cabinets containing items of wizard interest. Over in a clear glass cabinet sat the Sorting Hat, it seemed to be sleeping. Over on the far side of the wall was a row of portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses.

Alice's eyes were drawn to the portrait of a man with shoulder length black hair and black robes. He seemed to simply stare down at them, the name under his picture was _Severus Snape_. She moved across the room the the portrait, her eyes locked on the man's own. Raven moved next to her, her head tilted to the side as she tried to figure out her fascination with the man. Alice was watching the portrait with a look of respect and adoration.

"Who's that?" Raven asked, suddenly reeling back as Alice whipped around, snapping at her.

"This man is only the most renown Potion's Master, Headmaster and overall bravest man that was alive!" She barked back at Raven.

"Alright alright! Geez." Stepping farther away from her, Raven grit her teeth as she held an arm defensively up in front her her chest.

"Severus Snape was a man who was unlike any other, a story of a man who placed his life on the line to see this school protected." Alice went on, seeming to stare dreamily at the man's portrait. "He is my idol, I wish some day to excel in the art of potions as he did."

"How do you even know all this stuff about people?" Raven asked as she let her arms fall to her side and her shoulders slump, her face getting a kind of 'dur' look to it.

"This school fascinates me, I have studied much about it even before I was of age to come here." Alice seemed to bow her head in respect to the portrait, then turned to face the two she had brought with her as footsteps came from the back of the room. They waited for the Headmaster's appearance, but instead were greeted by the figure of slightly aged woman. She wore simple red robes, near her ear was a rose pin in her wavy black hair, holding the tangled mess away from her face.

"The Headmaster is off on business right now, so I will be seeing over this little disturbance that was caused last evening." She spoke with a stern tone, eying them with pools of deep brown.

"Yes Professor Thornwood." Alice responded. Raven didn't seem to know who she was exactly, she didn't see her at the welcoming banquet the other night. The woman began to lead them towards a door at the back of the room.

"Who's this?" Raven whispered to Alice, the girl side-glancing back at her.

"This is Professor Saphina Thornwood, assistant Headmistress. Really how did you end up in Ravenclaw? I thought they were supposed to be intelligent!"

"Hey! I don't know a lot about this magic stuff yet! I lived my whole life thinking I was a Muggle!" Raven tried to retort, but was silence when Thornwood lifted her hand to quiet them and opened the door. Inside was a much smaller room with a desk and a few seats. Sitting within three of them were the boys from yesterday. All three boys glared at the group as they entered, Thornwood motioned for them to sit down in the free seats. Alice sat calmly, not even giving a second glance to the boys.

"Now then. According to these boys, you assaulted them with your umbrella, is that correct, Miss Carinana?" The woman set her cold eyes on Alice, who simply nodded her response. "I see, however this is only half of the story. I would like to hear the other, Mr. Reed?"

The Hufflepuff boy's head shot up at the mention of his last name. "O-Oh! Um … well … these boys were teasing me and had pushed me down. She stepped in to help me and they pushed her first. They started it!"

"Is this true, Miss Taylor? I believe you were witness to this event too." Thornwood now set her eyes on Raven, the young girl getting a slightly disturbed feel from being stared at so intently.

"It's true, they pushed her first when she stepped between them to stop the bullying." Raven confirmed the story. The woman looked between all of the children before nodding and coming to a stand.

"Alright, I believe I know what is going on then. Ten points from Slytherin each for the bullying of Mister Oliver Reed, however I am awarding ten points to Miss Alice Carinana for standing between and stopping it. Harassment of students for blood-lines will not be tolerated. Now, return to your classes at once." Thornwood moved from behind the desk and opened the door for them. Each student stood, the Slytherin boys muttering about being caught while Alice calmly walked out, followed by Raven and Oliver.

As they left the office, the boys glared back at the Hufflepuff boy, sneering while one of them threatened him if he was ever alone. Alice glared back at them, her wand sliding down her robe sleeve and into her hand. This caused the boys to quicken their pace away from them. They weren't staying around to see what else she could conjure up to smack them with. Oliver watched as they rushed off, then looked to Alice as she slid her wand back up into her sleeve.

"Thanks for standing up for me … again I mean." He nervously twiddled his thumbs before him, the mop of brown hair on his head covering some of his eyes.

"I would suggest you keep away from those in Slytherin. While some are certainly more friendly then those of the house used to be, there are still some that fall into place as purists. If anything it would be best for you to stay near us." Alice spoke as she walked forward once more. Oliver blinked at the awkward extend of friendship, then looked to Raven who smiled and nodded in return.

"Isn't that a little bit of a contradiction … I mean, you're in Slytherin..." Oliver began, but shushed when Raven fell back and placed her hands on his shoulders from behind.

"It's best not to question her, I mean you saw what she did to those boys." She muttered over his shoulder, ahead Alice seemed to smile at Raven's statement, even seemed to stifle something that sounded like a light chuckle.

* * *

><p>Sounds of rustling came from the Ravenclaw Female dormitory. Raven was fast asleep, covers tucked up around her neck when something seemed to plop onto her face. It was a ball of gray fluff, pawing at her face before stepping on it and blocking the air from her nose and mouth. It didn't take long for Raven to sit up, gasping for air and throwing the odd thing from her face. Whatever it was let out a sharp mew before it was caught in the hands of someone in the darkness of the dorm.<p>

Raven coughed out, glaring through the dark before Alice stepped forward into the moonlight next to her bed. The two exchanged a silent conversation, Raven waving her hands about as if questioning how and what she was doing in here, Alice shrugging her shoulders as if to say 'It was easy.' She was now petting the ball of gray fluff, which wasn't a ball of gray fluff at all, but rather a small gray kitten who's face was lined with white stripes and on her back was a small spot of orange fur.

"You're not supposed to be in here, this is the RAVENCLAW dorms, not SLYTHERIN." Raven hissed out, blinking as Alice set the kitten on her shoulder and took Raven's hand, ripping her from the bed.

"The riddles are fairly easy to solve. Not that big of a deal, now come on." Alice instructed, pulling her along down the stairs.

"I … what? Where are we going? We're not even supposed to be out of bed, you're going to get us in trouble." Raven whined out slightly, tripping as she was pulled out of the Ravenclaw commons and out into the draft of the castle. "You could have at lease let me put on a robe!"

"We're finding something in the school." Alice began, not wasting any time as she continued to pull her along even as she tripped. This cause her to drag Raven for a few moments before she got her footing back. "There is a room in this school that caters to one's needs. It was once used by the famous Dumbledore's Army to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts, though it suffered fire damage during the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Why do you know this stuff?" Raven groaned out still half asleep as she was tugged along. Having explained herself earlier in the week, Alice wasn't going to go through that again. The two moved half way down the hall before coming to a stop. Alice pressed herself and Raven back against the wall before giving it a few taps. Quick footsteps soon approached followed by the illumination of the tip of a wand.

"Morning girls." James smiled at the two, tucked under his arm looked like a folded piece of parchment. It looked old, really old.

"Potter has agreed to help us find this room." Alice glanced at Raven who's eyes were half open in a look of disinterest and exhaustion.

"Please, call me James. Raven does." The boy smiled, pulling the old parchment from under his arm and holding it in front of him. Raven's eyes darted to the blank parchment as she pushed off the wall, looking at it with wider eyes.

"What's that?" Raven asked. James placed his fingers to his lips, silencing her before bringing his wand down and tapping the paper.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." James spoke above a whisper, suddenly it was like ink had been dumped on the paper as it began to form and take shape of some kind of logo. Along with the words "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs" the large blot of ink in the middle had turned to a title. It read "The Marauder's Map". Raven's once tired eyes were now wide as she looked down at the map as it was opened. Inside they could see the dots of everyone that was in Hogwarts and on the grounds.

Most dots were gathered in their respected places in dorms, some dots of ghosts floated aimlessly around, and there was one dot which seemed to be pacing the corridors far from them. Their three dots were piled on one another, the small flags stating their names overlapping. Raven was amazed by the piece of work. There was nothing like this in the Muggle world. There was plenty of times she wished she had something like this.

"This was my Dad's actually. He told us about it, my grandpa helped make it." James said with a smile.

"Your dad gave this to you?" Raven peered at it still over Alice's shoulder.

"Gave, took from his desk, who remembers?" James shrugged, then glanced over the map. The hallway was clear. He motioned for them to follow and with that their dots on the map began to move with them. Eventually Alice moved up front, fairly determined as she knew where she was going. James kept watch on the map for anyone that would pose a threat to the operation. Raven on the other hand, was apparently just along for the ride since she really wasn't contributing much except being a space taker.

The three moved silently, even the small gray kitten was silent as she sat perched on Alice's shoulder. There were a couple times where they had to stop to avoid getting caught, but after a while they finally made it to a blank place on the castle's wall. Raven looked confused as the two of them stopped. She didn't see anything here except a brick wall. She wanted to ask what they were stopped for, but she was afraid to break the silence.

The wall before them suddenly began to shudder, bricks trembling before slowly a door was forming out of the wall. With wide eyes Raven gawked, while Alice and James looked on as if it wasn't something new to them. As far as Raven knew, it probably wasn't. The door fully formed by now and Alice took strides forward, opening it. The trio was greeted by the smell of soot and must.

Alice motioned for them to come inside, James and Raven doing so as the door closed behind them. Their dots vanished off the map. Inside the room was piles and piles of things, some burnt beyond recognition while some seemed to just be singed. Alice glanced about the room then began to dig through piles of half burnt books. Raven and James stood back, unsure as to what she was doing, or what she was looking for.

"Don't just stand there, help me find it." Alice called out, throwing off to the side a book that was unreadable. "I know it has to be in here, it has to be safe."

"What are we even looking for?" Raven asked, moving to a pile of books and looking at them.

"It a really old copy of a book, Advanced Potion-Making." Alice stated, throwing another unreadable book off to the side.

"You mean you woke me up a three in the morning to find a TEXTBOOK?" Raven stood upright as she threw an ashy remnant onto the ground.

"It's not just **A** textbook!" Alice growled in Raven's direction, causing the girl to suddenly back down. "This book once belong to-"

"Found it!" James' voice called from the far back of the room. In his hand he waved a singed book, the cover was damaged by flames but miraculously the inside remained untouched. Alice's eyes brightened at the sight, she throwing the book in her hands to the floor and rushing over to snatch the one from James. Once she placed her hands on the book she ripped it from him, pulling it into her arms and hugging it as if it were a doll.

"This isn't awkward at all..." Raven spoke as she moved next to James. The boy nodded, watching as the normally cool and collected girl was now dancing around the room with the book held tightly against her chest. Once she had gotten her fill of euphoria, Alice cleared her throat and placed the book into her robe pocket.

"I don't know, should you really be taking that book? I think it was in here for a reason." James began to speak, but his question was ignored at she began to head to the door. Raven sighed, following after her as the prospect of going back to sleep now that this was over was starting to look good. Once the three had left the room the door vanished into the wall, James flipping open the Marauder's Map once more to make sure the coast was clear. With a quick overlook, the way was clear to move on. The children's steps were now faster as they cleared the hallways, making their way back to where they had met.

At the corner where the three met Alice offered her thanks to James for his assistance. The boy smiled at them, stating he rather enjoyed the late night run around the school and closed the map before muttering 'Mischief Managed' and tapping it once more. The boy gave a wave to the girls and strode off to head back to his dorms, leaving Raven and Alice to themselves. Alice walked with Raven to the Ravenclaw door, wall the way up the winding steps to the tower and once she was sure that she was safe from being discovered, left Raven to her own. She watched as Alice descended the stairs to head back to the Slytherin commons, she hoped she'd make it back undiscovered.

Raven now turned to face the door, looking at it before lightly grabbing the knocker. The avian head sprung to life, looking her over before reciting a riddle for her to solve.

"A sharpshooter hung up his hat and put on a blindfold. He then walked 100 yards turned around and shot a bullet through his hat. The blindfold was a perfectly good one completely blocking the mans vision. How did he manage this?" The knocker was released once it finished it's riddle, waiting for the answer to open the door. Raven stared a moment, looking with an open mouth at the bronze bird head. Raven thought long and hard about the answer, her brain rattled due to her less alertness due to lack of sleep. Sliding down the side of the wall Raven wrapped her arms around herself, glaring off at the opposite wall.

"Well crap."


	6. What's a Quidditch?

**Author's Note: **I really REALLY don't like making up new professors but sometimes you just can't avoid it. There's not enough solid information or it has been stated that the previous teacher has retired. In Madame Hooch's case, it was stated she more then likely retired, so I had to go through the creative process of conjuring up a replacement. In all my resentment for it, I think I make some pretty good professors.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

**What's a Quidditch?**

The next morning at breakfast Alice sat at the Slytherin table, eyes glued to the book she had retrieved the night before. She kept it closely under her watch, hiding it away when a teacher or student passed. Like a treasure she kept it hidden, only looking when she knew she was alone at the table. Raven stared at her from the Ravenclaw table, she ended up sleeping outside the door for she was never able to figure out the riddle. It was only when someone answered it correctly that she was able to get inside and change her clothes.

Now her neck and back hurt having to had to sleep against a stone wall and floor the entire night. However her concerns were hardly of herself. Alice had avoided everyone since she first appeared in the hall for breakfast. Even when Oliver had stopped to say hello, as she had given him was a small grunt in response and huddled over the book. The Hufflepuff boy sighed and came to Raven's table, sitting across from her as he looked over his shoulder at Alice's back.

"Do you think she's feeling alright?" He asked, turning his attention back to Raven.

"I don't know, normally she comes over here to eat but she's staying at the Slytherin table now." Raven answered, reaching across the table to grab a piece of toast. Oliver did the same, eating the corners of it like a mouse. Raven glanced at him, giving him an odd look to which he replied with a 'What?' and lowered the toast to the plate in front of him.

"Stay here." She suddenly lifted herself up from the table, moving around it and walked to the Griffindor table. James sat with his younger brother and cousin, eating his breakfast and discussing the events for the day with his friends across the table. Raven came up behind him, glancing to Alice as she spoke.

"James, we have a problem." She knelt to her knees a little to avoid being seen if Alice turned around.

"What wrong?" Rose frowned as she watched Raven sink.

"It's that book. I think she's getting a little too attached to it. Do you think they're something wrong with it?" Her eyes lifted to meet James' and moved to sit on the other side of them as to not break up the family gathering.

"She's probably just really enjoying it. I wouldn't worry too much unless she starts becoming reclusive." James said, taking a soft boiled egg into his egg cup and cracking the top of it.

"She is becoming reclusive! She didn't even say hi this morning as she does that every day!" Raven barked out, causing James to crack the egg to hard and get some of the egg shells in the yolk.

"She just got the book, there's nothing to worry about. Give her a couple days, if she's still acting that way then we have a problem." He looked over at her, his look less then his normal cheerful glance.

"I still think they're something wrong."

"There's nothing wrong."

"You're not the one who had to sleep outside your common room last night!"

"What?" James gave her a blank look.

"Never mind." Raven blushed and glared off to the side. The sound of fluttering wings soon filled the hall as the owl post arrived for it's morning delivery. The Potter and Weasley family got their deliveries, a letter from home and the Daily Prophet for Albus and James, a package of some sort for Rose. Par flew down with Raven's mail, the usual copy of the news and a small package wrapped in brown paper with a note attached to it. Curious as to the contents, Raven gave it a small shake.

The box made some noise of the contents within, with that Raven pulled off the letter, opening it and looking at what it said.

_Raven,_

_We're so proud of you for handling your new school life. This is a surprise _

_from just me. I hope you enjoy it and you can use it to keep in touch._

_I know I wasn't exactly keen on the idea at first but this gift that you have_

_been given should be developed and nourished. See you around Christmas_

_time dear!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

"Your mom got you a present?" Albus had been listening as she read the letter out loud.

"Wonder what it is." Raven moved the letter aside, pulling the strings on the box and pulling off the paper. She opened the box and at once her eyes lit up. Her hands shook as she tried ripping the contents out of the box. After wrestling with the packaging she had pulled out a small device, the latest and greatest version of a touch screen phone.

"I can't believe it! I've been wanting one of these forever! Ever since they came out!" She screamed out in excitement, still shaking a she sat up from the table and began dancing around with it.

"Think we should tell her?" Albus looked up at his brother.

"Nah, it'll sink in in a minute." James said as he simply chomped down on some toast while he watched Raven make a fool of herself.

"I can't believe this! I, Raven Taylor, have the latest and greatest phone … AND I CAN'T EVEN FRICKEN USE IT RUAAAAAUGH!" The thought finally sunk in as she realized once again that muggle items did not work on school grounds. She roared out before throwing the phone back in the box with such force the box had flipped over. Raven's hands gripped at her hair and in a flurry of frustration began wrenching her hands back and forth over her head. Rose looked between her two cousins, James simply eating his toast and watching the fit while Albus looked a little frightened. With a roll of her eyes Rose stood, grabbing Raven by the arm.

"Relax alright? Just save it for when you leave for Christmas!" Rose attempted to calm Raven down, the Ravenclaw taking in heaving breaths and standing in a stance that would resemble something of a gorilla.

"Right, Christmas. I can activate it at home. Aw but it's still September." Fixing her posture, Raven looked over at Rose.

"It's only four months, it will fly by fast." Rose assured her, letting go of her arm. "In the mean time, maybe you should write your mother back and tell her muggle items don't work here."

Raven nodded, gathering up her things while Par flew onto her shoulder, tilting his head at the object in the box. She sat back down at her table across from Oliver, setting the box and her mail on the table. Par moved to stand on the table, looking into the box which also got Oliver curious to what was in it.

"What did you get?" He asked, peering in the box while he leaned over the table.

"Just the newest touch phone. I can't even use it."

"Whoa really? Can I see?" His eyes lit up with the same excitement that Raven had given before.

"Sure, not like it will turn on." Raven grumbled under her breath, sitting down and pulling out her quill and parchment. Oliver grinned as he took the phone out and looked it over, pressing buttons even though he knew it wouldn't turn on. Dipping her quill into her inkwell, she began to write a letter to her mother. She didn't want to sound like a jerk and tried to find the nicest way possible to decline any future electronics. As she wrote the Assistant Headmistress stood, gathering the attention of the hall.

"Attention students! Classes will be starting soon, Flying Lessons will be held for First Year students today, so after breakfast all First Years must report outside at the fields." Professor Thornwood spoke, her voice loud enough to be heard over the hall. Students began to stand getting ready to leave as they gathered their things. Raven turned her head, looking back to see if Alice was packing up. To her surprise, she had already vanished. Oliver reluctantly put the phone back in the gift box, Par taking off to his residence at the owl coop. If anything, Alice probably left early to be on time.

* * *

><p>Luckily for Raven, Oliver knew the way to the fields and was able to guide her to them. Outside all of the First year students stood in rows, brooms at their sides on the ground. Alice was at the far end, her nose still buried in the book as they waited for the teacher. Raven moved down the line to Alice's side, catching her by surprise as Oliver went around to Raven's other side.<p>

"Gah!" Alice fumbled with the book as she was caught off guard, it spinning in the air for a moment before she slapped it shut in mid air.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were so into that book." Raven said with a smile as two brooms floated to the ground next to her and Oliver. "We missed you at breakfast you recluse."

"I was reading." Alice stated plainly, her attention turned to the front of the line as a figure in billowing black robes began to approach. The slender cloak moved across the grasses like it was floating on air, the female within them taking long strides before stopping at the large group of First years. The woman was attractive, wavy locks of deep red hair were brushed back by the wind, green eyes shone behind a pair of small round glasses. It was like she knew of the sexual attraction she caused, for she eyed each and every male student that seemed to be stunned by her looks.

"Good morning class. I am Madame Alexandria Crow, and I am your flight instructor this year. I will be teaching you the proper way to fly on your broomsticks and if I catch any of you staring at my chest, I'm deducting five points from your house each time."

All at once the males turned their eyes to her face.

"Now then, as you may or may not know, Madame Rolanda Hooch retired this year. She was a wonderful teacher of the flying arts and it is an honor to take her place." Madame Crow began to walk down the row of children, keeping eyes locked with every male to make sure they paid attention to her face. She then stopped at the end of the line, turned and headed back to the front where she stood beside her broom on the ground.

"On the sound of my whistle, I want you to hold your hands out over your broom, and with feeling shout 'Up!' If you are successful, your broom should fly up into your grasp. On my command..." She then blew the whistle and at once the children began to call for their brooms. Alice spoke her first command of 'Up' and her broom flew up into her grasp. Raven stared at her with a look of shock, was there anything this girl wasn't good at? Beside her Oliver tried commanding his broom up into his hand, though his voice seemed to lack to confidence his body was trying to give.

"With feeling Mister Reed!" Crow called out, his eyes lifting to her chest first and quickly to her face. Luckily for him she didn't catch the second pause he gave. Once again he tried as he glared back down at the broom.

"UP!" He shouted and quickly the broom shot up, slapping his hand while he gripped it tightly. Raven finally looked down at her broom, holding her hand out over it.

"Okay broom … UP!" She commanded it with as much confidence as possible. The broom flew up, past her waiting hand and proceeded to smack her in the face five times. Raven fell backwards, holding her face as she landed on her rear and just as quickly as he fell Oliver was at her side, checking if she was alright.

"I got this, I GOT THIS!" Raven cried out, standing back up as blood dripped from her nose. "Alright you stupid broom, I said UP! UP!"

The broom flew up again to smack her in the face but this time she was prepared. As it lifted past her hand she moved an snatched it by the handle, glaring at it with a triumphant smirk. Madame Crow moved to Raven, eying the blood that was dripping down to her lips now.

"Miss Taylor, I think you need to go to the Hospital Wing..." She spoke calmly, reaching to take her broom.

"No! I got this! I'm not missing this lesson!" Raven snapped out, pulling the broom handle closer to her chest. Crow gave her a curious glance before handing her a handkerchief and walking off. Raven used it to wipe the blood from her face and then held the broom steady in her hand. Once the class had called their brooms Madame Crow moved to the front of the line once more.

"Now that you have your brooms in your hands I want you to mount them. Keep a firm grip on the broomstick so you don't fall off. At the sound of my whistle you will kick off the ground and maintain a hover. Once you feel you are comfortable with the control of the broom I want you to lean downward to bring the broom back down and land safely." Crow watched her students like a hawk, each one keeping their eyes on her face, unless risk losing five points from their house for a stupid reason. She then lifted the whistle to her lips, making sure each person was on their broom, and blew the whistle. Everyone kicked off the ground, some going a little higher then others but maintained a steady hover over the ground.

Raven took the the broom fairly well pushing off the ground she managed to keep herself balanced and upright. Alice was doing the same, higher up then most, she was comfortable with her standing with the broom, and lowered herself back to the ground. When Raven looked to Oliver she expected him to be wobbling off the side of his broom, but to her amazement he was a born natural. He looked calm and sat atop his broom like he belonged up there. Once each student was comfortable they came down, landing on their feet.

"Very good. Now we are going to practice actual flight. Once again kick off the ground to hover then when you are ready, lean yourself forward to fly. Leaning up will make you go higher and leaning down will make you go lower. Leaning back will slow you down. At the sound of my whistle you will each make five laps around the grounds and ONLY the grounds. Feel free to fly at whatever altitude you are comfortable with." Crow stepped back, looking up for only a moment before blowing on her whistle once again.

At the tweet of the whistle everyone pushed up off the ground, some chose to stay low in case of accidents but Raven decided to be a bit more daring then the others. Right away she flew up higher leaning forward to make her broom move faster. This was unlike anything she had ever experience in her life, riding a bike was nothing compared to this. She laughed as the wind whipped through her hair and she made her laps, closing her eyes here and there to truly feel like she was floating along. She had made her fifth and final lap and just like that it was over.

She maneuvered her broom to the ground, stumbling a little on landing but caught her balance quickly. Raven climbed off the broom and held it at her side like someone leaning on a cane. What a rush! She had enjoyed every minute of that flight, and apparently Madame Crow took notice. The woman walked up to her side, a light grin on her expression as she looked Raven over.

"My dear you looked like a natural up there. Did you enjoy it?" She asked, taking the broom from her.

"Very much ma'am! It was like nothing I've ever experienced!" Raven nodded her head like she was shook like a rag doll.

"There are some openings on the Quidditch team for Ravenclaw if you wished to try out next week. I think you'd get your flight fancy from that, and who knows, you might be good at it." Crow smiled softly, taking the brooms from the other students as they handed them over.

"What's a Quidditch?" Raven blinked before suddenly she was smack in the back of the head. Alice handed over her broom to Madam Crow as she removed her hand from the back of Raven's head.

"Quidditch is a wizarding sport played on broomsticks." Alice sighed out, pulling out a green covered book that's title _Quidditch Through the Ages _was printed on the cover in gold lettering.

"It's like the Muggle sport of Football, just on brooms and a bit more faster paced." Oliver pointed out, handing his broom over.

"Oh … Hmm, I guess I could try it out." Raven glanced back to Madame Crow, who looked excited with the opportunity to recruit someone else to the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"I can give you a run down on how to play the game tomorrow if you want. I think you'll be a fine addition if you make the team." She held her free hand out to Raven as if ready to make a deal.

"Sounds good." Raven smiled in return, reaching out and shaking her hand.

"Great, be out here at eight in the morning sharp, got it?" The redheaded beauty pulled her hand away as she now turned her back to Raven and glared at a Griffindor boy. "I saw that! Five points from Griffindor!"

"Eight in the morning?" Raven blurted out.

* * *

><p>That night at supper Raven looked very much like Alice that morning. Nose stuck in the book Alice had given her, she was soaking up all the information she could about Quidditch and how to play it. She would do anything she could to get back the sensation of flying once again. She was taking in every bit she could from what a Snitch was to what kind of foul Cobbing was. She wasn't going to waste this golden opportunity given to her.<p>

"So you're really going to try out for the Quidditch team? Oliver sat himself across from her as he pulled some roast pork onto his plate.

"I'm thinking about it. If I like it I will." Raven lifted her nose from the book, nodding at him slightly.

"I heard it's pretty fun, never played it myself but when I found out I was a wizard I started researching all this stuff. Like I said earlier today it's just like football, well in it's fan base anyway. Lots of magical folk love watching it." He glanced at the cover of the book for a moment before stuffing his mouth with some food, talking through it. "Cam I seff fat for a secom?"

"Sure." Raven handed over the book like she understood him perfectly. She was so engulfed in reading she had forgotten to get food for herself. As she pulled foods onto her plate she began imagining what it would be like on the team. She tried imagining herself in each position, certainly not a Keeper cause they hardly moved at all. She wanted to be something that would be able to soar quickly through the sky on a broom that didn't want to smack her in the face.

This kind of thinking would go on for the rest of the night, even after dinner. Her mind encased in other things, she had to wait for someone to answer the riddle right to get into the room. She wouldn't even be thinking of an answer. With the book planted on her face, Raven fell asleep in her bed, trying to soak up the last information she could before she was dragged off to slumber.


	7. The Art of Sports

**Author's Note: **Quidditch is fun to write about.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

**The Art of Sports**

Never in her life did Raven attend any kind of sports. She had always been that person who stayed in the library during recess. And yet here she was, eight in the morning walking to the Quidditch pitch. She wasn't entirely awake, her movements sluggish as she walked across the frosted dew covered grass. It was particularly cold that morning so she walked with her robes shut and her head tucked into the warmth of her Ravenclaw scarf. Now that the weather was becoming much colder in the mornings, the school was giving out their house scarves out to the First years.

Once Raven had made it to the pitch she was greeted by the sight of Madame Crow pulling out boxes of some sort. Even more surprising, Oliver was there as well. He had a look on his face like he was someone eager to learn. With quicker steps Raven made her way next to him, a smile on his face as he noticed her.

"Raven! I was hoping you'd show up." He exclaimed, his hands deep within the warmth of his robes.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked, side glancing to Madame Crow as she pulled another box from the storage area.

"Well, I got to thinking last night, this sport looks really fun and I want to learn it hands on so I thought I'd come watch." He nodded, leaning back on his heels as he smiled.

"Um, alright." Raven let out a yawn after her speech, her hand going over her mouth to block it. Madame Crow stacked the last box then smiled as she met Raven's eyes.

"Miss Taylor, so glad that you showed up! Ready to get started?" She placed her hands on her hips then gave a quick glare at Oliver, who stopped rocking on his heels and looked the other way.

"Ready as ever." Raven nodded, pulling her arms out of her robes and into the sleeves.

"Alright, we'll start with the basics, the balls in play." Crow reached for one of the cases and pulled it open, pulling out a ball that had large round indents in it. "This is a Quaffle, it is used by Chasers to score goals in the other team's goal hoops."

Raven slowly pulled out the book Alice had given her, looking at the difference between the Quaffle Crow held and and the one in the book. "The one here doesn't have the indents..."

"Times change dear, that book is old." The woman tossed the ball up before catching it in both hands. "Now, grab that broom over there and lets see if you have what it takes to be a Chaser."

She set the book down on the ground, Oliver striding over and picking it up to look it over. Raven moved to the broom, taking hold of the stick and dragging it over to the field. Crow nodded at her as she mounted the broom and pushed off the ground, hovering in the air.

"I'm going to throw the ball up into the air. You're going to catch it and throw it into the goal hoops as accurately as possible, got it?" Madame Crow called up to her.

"Got it." Raven said bluntly, flying up higher into the air. Whenever she was flying on a broom it was like she was flying on her own, like the broom was an extension of her. Crow made a small huff and threw the Quaffle up into the air. Raven flew down, trying to catch the ball only to have it slip through her arm. She attempted again as Crow threw the ball up again and this time missed completely. Madame crow watched as twelve times Raven fumbled with the ball, managing to hold onto it once but failing to place it into the goal hoops.

"Alright, Chaser isn't your position. Let's try something else." Crow groaned running one of her hands down her face. Raven sighed, coming to the ground and collapsing off her broom. She rolled onto her back, hands stretched out at her sides as she stared up at the gray sky.

"What's next?" Raven moaned out, pushing herself up from the ground.

"Well, there's the Beater position, that's normally reserved for more physically strengthened people though." Oliver sat on the ground, looking into the book a moment before holding it open and pointing to the bats on the page.

"Might as well give it a try." The teacher placed the Quaffle on her shoulder and moved to the boxes, placing the ball back in it's proper place and pulling out a small bat from another. She glided across the grounds to Raven, placing the bat in the confused girl's hands.

"Er, what's this for?" Raven glanced up between her and the bat.

"You'll see soon enough." Madame Crow walked away, moving to one of the boxes that was now squirming and making unnatural sounds. Raven's eyes locked with the box, widening more as the lid was lifted and she saw what looked like a jet black ball struggling to get out of it's bonds.

"This is called a Bludger. Made of Iron, these balls are released two at a time during the game. It is the Beater's job to use the bat to beat away the ball from their team mates, while at the same time aiming it at the opposing team players. Now, get back up in the air and get ready."

"O-Okay..." Raven gulped slightly, pulling herself back onto the broom and flying back into the air. Once she was up high enough Madame Crow stepped back and kicked the box, the latch holding the Bludger back snapped open, releasing the bewitched ball. At once it raced towards Raven, her eyes going wider as it flew directly towards her face.

"HOLY CRAP!" Raven cried out, swinging the bat wildly as the ball missed her by mere inches. She moved her broom out of the way, flying as the Bludger chased after her. Oliver sighed as he looked up, watching Raven helplessly flee from her attacker. Madame Crow did the same, her look of annoyance saying all that needed to be said on this position.

"Miss Taylor! Fly this way at- WHOA!" As she began to speak, Crow was cut off at once as Raven's broom started to take a nose dive at her, the ball following close behind. Raven hit the ground face first, broomstick stuck in the earth while the Bludger moved in to smack her into the ground more. She was shoved to the side as Oliver took her place, bracing himself for impact and taking the full brunt of the ball. The force caused him to fly back, hitting the support beams of one of the towers but he kept his arms tight around the ball as it growled and tried to wiggle out. Madame Crow moved quickly towards him with the containment box and with his help they returned the ball back in it's place.

"Well, I guess that leaves us with one option, Seeker." She sighed and ran her fingers back through locks of red hair.

"Does it involve me getting maimed in anyway? Cause if it does then I quit this game." Raven sat up, spitting out dirt before glaring and crossing her arms.

"No, it is actually easy, but quite hard in the same right." Crow moved to a much smaller box, opening it up and holding between gloved fingers a small golden ball. As it was removed from it's container small silver wings unfolded from around it. Raven's eyes went wide with astonishment as she looked at it.

"This is the Golden Snitch, as a Seeker this is your soul priority. Whenever the Snitch is released it is your job to track it down and catch before the other team. Catching the Snitch earns your team one-hundred and fifty points and ends the game. It's not as easy as it sounds though, for it moves fast as lightning and is difficult to see." As she held it, the Snitch unfolded it's wings and began to flutter like a humming bird would. Raven smiled at the little ball, then frowned when it was pulled away from her. "Now, put on some gloves and get into the air, we're going to see if this is for you."

With a nod Raven was back on her broom, both hands gloved and she was up in the air. She signaled she was ready and Crow released the Snitch, it hovering about for a few seconds before zipping out onto the pitch. Raven tried to follow it with her eyes and once she caught sight of it she was in hot pursuit. Madame Crow and Oliver smiled as she was picking up on it right away. Perhaps they had finally found the position for her.

Within minutes Raven had caught the Snitch, gripping it tightly while it's wings feebly tried to make it fly. She guided her broom down and landed, holding out the ball to Crow who looked a little flabbergasted at her accuracy and timing on catching the golden Snitch.

"I have to say I like that position better." Raven admitted once the ball was taken from her hand. Madame Crow seemed to beam with pride as she returned to her, hands clasped together like she was coming up with some kind of plan.

"Well done! I know you're going to excel in the try-outs next week." She nodded. "We've been needing a good Seeker for the Ravenclaw team."

"Madam Crow, do you think you could show me some of the positions?" Oliver spoke in a soft volume.

"Oh, of course!" She nodded, motioning for him and Raven to trade places on the field.

* * *

><p>"Seeker you say?" Alice spoke as she was cutting her meal into pieces she could eat later. It was a week later, a Friday afternoon where the students were seated for lunch. Raven and Oliver sat across from Alice, who since finishing her book had become a lot more social once again. James was right, thankfully.<p>

"Yeah, I really liked the concept of it, and I can catch the Snitch and follow it pretty well, so I thought I'd try for that." Raven pulled a warm bowl of soup close to her, sipping the pumpkin soup down.

"Try outs are after classes, do you want to come watch?" Oliver smiled before chomping down on an apple slice.

"Yes I suppose it does sound entertaining watching people fall off brooms in attempts to prove themselves athletic." Alice closed her eyes as if she was speaking wise words, then stabbed a piece of her food rather forcefully and shoved the fork in her mouth. Raven and Oliver stared at her a moment with looks of confusion.

"That's a yes." She finally said once she opened her eyes and saw their dumbfounded looks.

"Right! Great we'll see you there then!" Their Hufflepuff friend seemed to shrug off the discomfort.

Once the double Potions class was over it was like a great burden was lifted off Raven. Potions seemed to be such a simple subject and yet she loathed every lesson. Unlike her companion however, Alice enjoyed the class more than one person should. She was always good at potions but now she had definitely had Slughorn's attention. He extended her an invitation to join the Slug Club, she respectfully declined.

The two had Potions together again, they both were walking to the pitch since Alice had agreed to come watch. Already out there, the captains of the current team were evaluating what was lined up. Madame Crow was sitting sideways on her broom, wearing her referee robes which thankfully prevented the boys trying to get a look down her shirt. Raven saw Oliver at the end of the line and moved to his side while Alice made her way to where the spectators were sitting.

"Hi Raven, ready for this?" Oliver grinned as he spoke, excitement in his voice.

"Ready as ever." Raven spoke with a nervous tone. He patted her shoulder in a reassuring manner, then looked ahead as the four team captains lined up.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! I'm sure you're eager to prove your skills so lets get right to the point. We're going to separate people by house and position you're trying for. All Griffindor over here, Slytherin opposite and so on and so forth. Once you are in your house you shall stand separated by position, Chaser, Seeker, ectera.

"Once you are in your groups, your team captain will ask your group to perform your role. You will be judged on how well you handle certain situations and how fast. Now, get into your groups." The Griffindor captain spoke the rules of the try outs before motioning for the Griffindor contenders to follow him. Oliver followed the Hufflepuffs while Raven went after her own house. She stood where Seekers were to try out, two others standing along with her. Already she was growing nervous, what if they were ten times better then her? Her lack of confidence was making her want to turn around and leave for the school.

The Ravenclaw captain took one of the potential Seekers and lead her off to go practice and show what she could do. Raven watched as she soared through the sky, her reaction and finding the Snitch a little slow but when she got eyesight she chased it down until she caught it. The second one was about the same, except he caught on more quickly and chased with hot pursuit. Finally it was Raven's turn and she stood, gulping a little as she held onto her broom. With a deep sigh she mounted the broom.

It was like all sound was pushed out of her as her heart thumped in her ears, she felt like she was going to be sick. She never really tried out for anything before, and her first attempt would be a sport that can have you plummet feet from the air to the ground. The captain stared at her and asked if she was ready, she didn't make a move.

"Come on Raven! You can do it!" Suddenly someone's voice cut through the silence, she turned her head to see Alice standing up, hand cupped over her mouth to make her sound louder.

"Go Raven! Yeah!" Another voice, this time Oliver's as he called from his Hufflepuff area.

"We know you can do it!" There was a third voice, and then a forth. Raven turned her head more to see James, Albus and Rose cheering her on as well. At that moment her heart felt light as air. All these people, her friends, they came to cheer her on, to encourage her. Even the Potter and Weasley family was here. They were here to support her.

That look of nervousness quickly faded and was replaced with a beaming smile. She turned her head back to the captain and nodded her head as she kicked off the ground and took off into the air. Once she was high enough the Snitch was released and it zipped into the Pitch. Raven's eyes darted over the field, the setting sun glinting off a gold object and just like that she jerked her broom around and flew after it. She caught up to it in no time, leaning forward on her broom to get the maximum speed and to reach out for the Snitch.

The ball attempted to jerk away from her but it played into her trap, her other hand out and waiting for it to make that move. She clutched it in her left hand, holding it tightly while she leaned back to slow her speed and then leaned down for descent. The crowd cheered as she could hear everyone's voices, congratulating her, cheering her on. She landed on the ground on both her feet then held the Snitch up for everyone to see. The roar of the crowd got louder.

"Very well done Raven." The captain smiled and took the Snitch from her while patting her shoulder with his other hand. Once she was released from her practice she rushed over to where James, Albus, and Rose stood and raced into Rose's outstretched arms. The two girls hopped with excitement while Albus gave small hops on his own and James slapped her on the back.

"You were great! You definitely are going to get Seeker!" Rose squealed in delight for her, pulling away to stand back with her family. Alice quickly made her way towards the group, smiling at Raven while she gave her a quick hug.

"You looked like you were going to be sick out there." She remarked as she gave a small laugh.

"I was for a bit." Raven admitted, her attention turning to the field now as Oliver was up next on his position. "Come on, let's cheer for him too!"

* * *

><p>The next morning Raven was eager to see the results of the try outs. She ran out of the bathrooms with her bare feet and toothbrush in her mouth into the common room where a large amount of the room was gathered. She was still in her pajamas, a pastel blue spaghetti stringed tank top with baggy pajama pants of the same color. Her hair was a mess as it stuck out in places everywhere.<p>

"Hey Raven did you see the tryout results?" One of the Ravenclaw Third years pointed at the bulletin board as he passed.

"Getting to it!" Raven growled, the toothpaste foamed around her mouth made her look like she was some kind of rabid animal. She began shoving her way through the crowd, making it to the front while she tried to hop a bit to see where the posting was. Once she had found it she read the list.

**Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Lineup**

She passed over the names of the other people, she didn't really care right now.

**Seeker Position**

_Raven Taylor_

Her jaw dropped as she saw her name on the list, toothbrush falling from her mouth before she spit out the foam that had accumulated and screamed at the top of her lungs like a little school girl would.

"AW YEAH! I DID IT! I GOT SEEKER! WOO HOO!" She threw her hands up in the air and hopped into the middle of the common room, doing some kind of dance that caused her fellow housemates to stare at her in confusion. She flopped around the common room a few more times before she slammed into one of the Seventh years.

"You got some people asking for you out side." He said down at her, Raven suddenly becoming embarrassed and heading quickly to the door leading out of the commons. Outside stood Alice and Oliver, he looking rather excited in his own right.

"Did you get it?" Both Raven and Oliver asked each other at the same time.

"Yes! Did you!" The both said together once more. They both cheered, laughing and hugging each other before suddenly backing away.

"Congratulations Raven." Alice smiled brightly, something Raven wasn't used to seeing. The three headed off together for breakfast as Raven and Oliver discussed the excitement of their first game, Raven completely forgetting she was in her pajamas or that she had left her toothbrush on the floor of the common room.


	8. Discovery

**Author's Note: **Suddenly more plot development. I also forgot to mention I wrote the last chapter to Make a Man Out of You from the Mulan movie.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

**Discovery**

The sun was hardly up that morning when Raven entered the Great Hall. For a week now since the order came in she was wearing her Quidditch jacket whenever she had the chance. Soon their first game would be coming up and she was already shaking with excitement. Every practice she was there, it was only a matter of time before she'd get to play the game for real. This morning she was the first one in the hall say for the ghosts that didn't bother to sleep.

The foods weren't even out yet but that was alright. Using the dim light of the floating candles, Raven pulled out parchment and a quill, setting the ink bottle gently on the table. Dipping the quill into the ink, she pressed the parchment out to flatten it and began to write.

_Dear Dad and Mom,_

_It's mid-September as I write to you. I have some great news_

_that you two will enjoy. I've gotten into a sport here,I'm sure_

_Dad knows what one but for Mom's explanation, it's the sport_

_of Quidditch. I'm sure you can explain what it is to her. I took_

_to the broom well on my first try and ever since I've loved it._

_My love for the broom got me the position of Seeker! It was_

_a hard try-out, three other people tried to get it but I did it! I_

_can hardly wait till our first game, I know I'm going to do my_

_best out there, I just wish you could be here to see my first_

_game. Classes are going well, though I'm not very good at_

_Potions for some reason. My friend Alice is a pro at it, I've_

_been thinking about taking her offer on tutoring, haha!_

_Well, until I can see you at Christmas, hope you guys are doing_

_well and I miss you both. Yeah even Tobias. Tell him his big sis_

_is having fun._

_Love,_

_Raven_

She held the letter up once it was finished, looking it over and making sure she had spelled everything right. She hated spelling something wrong, only to find out later by someone else. Once her proofreading was over she folded the parchment up enough to fit into an envelope and put away her things. The hall was still empty except for a few teachers coming in to set things up, Madame Crow gave her a court nod as she headed past. Raven returned the nod with a small smile of her own then held the letter close to her chest, rushing out the large door for the owl coop.

There was a slight drizzle outside this morning, Raven could feel it on her skin and quickly tucked her letter into her Quidditch robes while she ran outside. Her clothes were damp slightly once she had made it to the large tower housing most the owls of the school. It was surprisingly clean for a place that birds hung around in all day. Raven quickly looked around, searching for Par among the many different colors and breeds of birds. It wasn't long however before the owl knew his owner was in the room and quickly flew down to greet her.

"Hello Par." She smiled as the large owl chattered lightly and nibbled on her ear. Her hand reached up, petting the top of his head before pulling out the letter. The owl chirped, stepping on her shoulder one foot at a time.

"Can you take this letter to Mom and Dad? You remember who they are, right? Tall man with the same color hair as mine, and a pretty woman with brown hair? The ones with the annoying nine year old." Raven explained to her avian companion. Par squawked as if he understood, taking the letter in his beak and flapping his wings to take off.

"Try not to let it get too wet!" She called after him as he flew out one of the windows and she smiled lightly, her hands resting together up against her chest. Par would deliver the letter as fast as his wings could carry him, and for that Raven was grateful. She knew she had made the right choice when it came to him. When she could no longer see him in the distance she pulled the hood of her robes up and rushed back outside. The light mist was now becoming a rain, the ground slick.

Raven's stomach rumbled for food, the thought that breakfast must be starting in her head. Her light jog she had started to turn into a run as she anticipated the meal. With the hood of her jacket blocking the rain, she hardly had gotten wet and managed to make it into the hall in time for a few students to be gathered at various tables, no one she knew yet though. As she sat down more students began to enter the hall, yawning and dressed for class. Among them was James, he looking like he much rather wanted to be back in bed.

Raven waved at him from her table, he not seeming to notice her at first as he zombie walked to the Griffindor table. She waved her hand in a more desperate manner, standing a little and trying to catch his attention. That time it worked for his eyes tilted towards her, giving her an odd look as she flailed her arms over at him. She looked so ridiculous.

"Okay okay psycho, what do you want?" He asked, looking her over as she stood there in her Quidditch robes.

"How are you this morning?" She grinned at him, plopping down on the seat.

"Er … fine? Why are you so happy this morning?" He asked, placing both his hands on the table to sit down. Once he had sat the empty plates on the table began filling magically with food.

"My first game is in two weeks! You'll be there, right?" She looked down at the food began to form, she reaching and taking some toast and bacon.

"It's Quidditch, you really think any of the Potter family would miss the first match of the year?" James spoke in friendly sarcastic tone. Raven glared at him for a moment before thrusting the toast at his mouth and stuffing it for him. He gave a smirk, chomping down on it and chewing it up to free his mouth.

"Please make sure Albus and Rose come too, I want them to be there." Raven nodded in his direction as he leaned on the table with his elbows.

"They'll come too, I'll make sure of it." He replied, swiping a piece of bacon off her plate and eating it.

"There's some right on the table." Raven muttered.

"I know, it's just more appetizing coming from someone's plate."

"That's gross." She snorted at him, shoving the remaining bit of bacon into her mouth and causing James to laugh at her aggressiveness of protecting her breakfast. As Raven began to chew like a cow Alice sat in her place beside her, setting a couple books down on the table with a loud thump.

"Raven, I need you to come with me to the boat house after Charms. I'd like to collect some of the water from the lake and examine the algae within it so see if it holds any magical properties." She glanced at her friend who seemed to be having a hard time swallowing down the large mass of bacon mush she had just forced herself to chew. When Raven nodded even as she was trying to wash what was left down with milk that James had poured for her, Alice leaned down, looking into Raven's bag to make sure she had all her books for their next class.

"James, did you finish your homework for your classes?" Alice's sharp green eyes turned to him, giving the young boy the urge to jump in his seat from the quick reflex of her eyes.

"Er, why do you care?" He asked rather bluntly.

"As a friend of Raven, you are a friend of mine, and I like to make sure my friends are getting the best education they can get." She recited as if she had practiced those lines for days. James looked at her before narrowing his eyes and pulling his Transfiguration homework out of his bag, a single paged diagram of the process of turning a beetle into a hair clip.

"Most interesting." Alice took it from him, looking it over before pointing to a spot on the page. "However, if you were to make the angle at which you flick your wand more upright, you would be able to add intricate designs to the hair clip, making it much more fashionable then simply a brown colored clip."

"Wow really?" The boy blinked as she took her quill out, writing over his own words and correcting his mistake. She handed the paper back to him, putting her quill away and pulling a bowl of oatmeal towards her.

"An O worthy research." She said plainly and spooned some of the thick oats into her mouth before reaching for some honey and drizzling it on top.

"Heh, thanks Alice!" He grinned, blowing on the ink to dry it as quickly as possible and stow away his homework.

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><p>Through out the rest of the day Raven moved from classroom to classroom. She finally had a handle on what was where and could travel on her own. The final class of the day was Charms, something she really enjoyed doing. As she opened the door to the room she was greeted with the sight of feathers lined on each desk top. Raven took her place among the bleacher like seats, sitting with the other Ravenclaws who were either looking over their feather or tickling someone with them.<p>

The volume in the room got louder as more people filtered in, and once the place was full of the right students a short man with striking white hair tapped his wand on the desk at the front of the room. He looked little goblin like, large nose which a small pair of glasses at on. He had a cheerful smile on his face, beaming at the students in his class.

"Good afternoon Students." The man chimed.

"Morning Professor Flitwick." The class spoke in return.

"As you all have noticed there have been feathers placed upon your desks. Today's lesson will be the always useful _Wingardium Leviosa_ charm. You will have the entire period to practice this lesson, so let's get started." Flitwick settled in his chair before pointing his wand at the feather on his own desk. "Say the incantation _Wingardium Leviosa_ and give your wand a swish and flick motion as you do."

As he said the words and moved his wand in the correct way, the feather on his desk started to rise as if someone was pulling it by a string. Raven watched with intent, studying the movement of the wand while the feather rose and fell.

"As you become more skilled with this charm, you will be able to lift much larger and heavier objects. Now, all of you try and see if you can lift the feathers off your desk." The professor lowered his feather and glanced around at his students.

"Alright, here it goes. _Wingardium Leviosa._" Raven pronounced the incantation as it was said by Flitwick and gave a swish and flick of her wand. At once the feather on her desk began to float up into the air, following the movement of her wand as she rose it into the air and then lowered it.

"Excellent wandwork Miss Taylor!" The professor beamed at her, clapping his hands with pride.

"Thank you Professor." Raven nodded at him lowering the feather back down. She seemed to have a good knack for Charm work. Hopefully this would counter her dreadfully awful performances in Potions. Around the room people continued to practice the charm, one person sending their feather rocketing across the room and having it stick in the wall. Raven had to duck to avoid getting a feather stuck in her forehead.

"Too much flick!" Flitwick called from across the room. Another one's feather spontaneously combusted, much to a flustered Hufflepuff. "Not enough Swish! Keep practicing!"

Since Raven had gotten the hang of it right away, she spent most of the class helping others. Her speed in learning the chant had other first years asking for her help. It felt good to finally be the one giving help instead of taking it. Class was soon over and Raven ran from the room as soon as they were released. As she ran she pulled off her school robes, stuffing them into her messenger bag and pulling out her Quidditch one.

One could say she was obsessed, she just found the sport exciting and not the mention the uniform robe, customized with her last name on the back, was pretty cool as well. She pulled the robes on as she rushed down stairs, over walkways and finally descending down the steps leading to the boathouse. As she was expecting Alice was knelt by the docks, looking down into the water with her potions equipment set out. Once she heard Raven's footsteps she turned around, smiling before sliding down to sit on the dock with her legs hanging over.

"Glad you could make it." She smiled as she patted the wood of the floor. The sound of the water gently caressing against the poles that held up the house was all the sound there was other then the light bubbling of Alice's cauldron.

"Alright, what is it you need help with?" Raven sat down, letting her feet hang over the edge with hers.

"You're going to help me in the study of the lake's algae. I'll tell you what to get, and you'll get it for me." Alice's once smiling face was now plastered with a look of seriousness. Drat it! She had lured Raven into a tutoring lesson!

"Wait what? Oh come on!" Raven frowned, and Alice held a hand up to silence any whining she was presently going to think of doing.

"I looked at your Potions homework, I'm going to help you improve to at least passing." Her dark green eyes seemed to pierce through her like knives. Raven continued to give that look of disgust before pulling off her Quidditch jacket.

"I'm going to need a sample from the lake. Go ahead and fill this up." Alice handed her a large beaker, Raven grumbling as she swiped it from her hand and laid on her stomach to fill it up with lake water. Thinking before she would even ask, she made sure to get the water nearest an object to get as much of the algae as she could. She pushed herself up afterwords and shuffled over to Alice where she set the glass container down rather hard.

"Very good now let's see, take about one sixth of that water and pour it into the cauldron."

"Alice, this isn't going to work-"

"Pour it into the cauldron!" Alice threw her potion stirring stick at Raven's head, it nailing her in the forehead and flying across the boathouse while Raven flew back and hit the ground with a thud. A large red mark began to form on her forehead where the end of the stirrer struck her in the head.

"WHAT THE HECK? I'LL POUR IT GOSH! WHO THROWS THINGS AT PEOPLE FOR NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS?" Raven roared out, arms flailing out at her sides.

"Thank you, now please retrieve my cauldron stirrer." She pointed to where she thought it landed, Raven now furious wandering over to an old overturned boat. It looked like the thing hadn't been moved in years, only a little of it was tilted upward by a brick holding it up.

"If I get bit by anything, I'm blaming you!" Raven called over her shoulder and leaned down onto her hands and knees before lowering herself more to feel under the boat. Once she had found the stick she pulled it out and presented it to Alice once she was back next to her.

"Here, quit throwing it at me now." Raven muttered, Alice taking it from her before freezing in place once she looked at it.

"Raven where did you find this?" She quickly asked, looking up at her.

"Over by the boat where you told me to look!" She barked back at her. Alice looked back down at the silvery black stick in her hands, she looking at the detail of the handle and her hands started to shake.

"T-This … this is..." She couldn't even finish her sentence, her voice at a loss for words.

"It's your stupid stick, I got it." Raven growled out before stopping once Alice pointed the stick at her.

"This is not a stupid stick! Don't you see? This is the wand of Professor Severus Snape! THIS IS HIS WAND!" She pulled the wand back to her, glancing around the boat house like she was paranoid of someone finding her treasure. "H-How did it get in here though, he died in the Shrieking Shack..."

"Wait, who the what?" Raven still was in confusion mode, looking between Alice and the wand while she huddled over it like a house elf guarding it's treasures.

"Severus Snape was killed in the Shrieking Shack, that means his wand should have been left there or was found. How did it get in here?" Alice tried to explain the intensity of this situation, her companion trying just as hard to understand it.

"Well, if it's a wand of someone who's gone, we should turn it in to the Headmaster's Office, don't you think?" Raven finally managed to form a well enough sentence.

"NO!" Alice blurted out, taking Snape's wand and thrusting it into her bag. "No one is going to know about this, got it? Say anything and I'm shaving your hair off in your sleep."

"Is that really necessary?" Raven growled back at her before crossing her arms over her chest. "You know, a friend might tell, but best friends would keep it secret."

Alice paused for a moment as she looked over at her. Raven's face had a smug look to her with a smirk that crept across her lips in almost a mischievous manner. Best friend huh? The look of anger drained off Alice's face as she got up and moved over to her friend, embracing her in a hug. Raven was a little startled at first but soon enough she smiled and hugged her back, her eyes closing in a look of contentment.

"You still have to find my cauldron stirrer." Alice's voice broke the silence.


	9. Game Day

**Author's Note:** Sorry this one took a little long. I got caught up playing the trial of RIFT. The game's pretty fun. :P Also today my niece and I decided to pop in Deathly Hallows part 1 and point out all the differences between the book and the movie. God we're such nerds.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

**Game Day**

The following two weeks were something of sluggish for Raven. Finally accepting the help that was forcefully given to her by Alice, her Potions were starting to improve to a point where she was actually passing. In exchange and totally out of friendship, Raven kept the down low on her Severus Snape museum's newest addition. If they were caught with it they most certainly would be in trouble to the lengths of some sort of punishment. She hadn't gotten in serious trouble yet so she wasn't sure what kind of punishment was dealt out.

However no matter how slow the week had dragged on, it was all worth it for today. Countless practices had lead to their first Quidditch game, and it was tonight. Even as she sat in the hall for lunch she was shaking in excitement. Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff, neither house fairly as combative as their sister houses Griffindor and Slytherin, but tonight that would change. Raven had a feeling this sport was something she needed to take in seriousness.

She leaned against the table as lunch was being served and was soon greeted by Rose and Albus who sat down across from her. She didn't notice them at first, only when James had come along and slammed one of his textbooks on the wooden surface did her face snap up to see them.

"Oh! Hey guys!" She sat upright smiling as she waved.

"Nervous about the game?" James smirked as he retrieved his book.

"Don't make her nervous!" Rose frowned up at her older cousin.

"Relax, this is Raven we're talking about, I don't think anything could make this girl nervous about this sport anymore." He said, rather confident. He was right, nothing in the world right now would make her nervous about her chance to shine tonight.

"We're cheering for you Raven!" Some Ravenclaw students passed, dressed for the occasion as they had silver ravens with blue eyes in their hair as a headpiece. Raven smirked, waving at them as they passed and turned her attention back to the group in front of her.

"I'm thinking next year trying out for the Griffindor team." Albus said as he admired Raven's uniform.

"And when you do I'll be right there rooting for you." Raven replied, smiling at him more. The boy blushed softly and looked down at the table. The house banners that normally reflected all four houses or the one who won the house cup now shone blue and yellow, the two teams that were going to face off at the game. Everyone was festive and prepared, Raven thought that this sport got a ton more attention than it's Muggle counterpart Football. While Raven piled lunch onto her plate, suddenly something was clamped around her throat from behind. Her arms flailed out at her sides like she was choking.

"Calm down would you?" Alice sighed at her, clasping a latch at the back and releasing the object in question to hang on her neck. Raven lifted her hand to feel a chain around her neck, a charm of a raven hanging off the end of it.

"Wow that's beautiful!" Rose exclaimed as she looked at the pendent. Raven's hand felt at it before looking upside down at Alice behind her.

"What's this for?"

"Luck." Alice looked down at her. "I made it."

"Thanks!" Rave grinned, holding the pendent. Alice nodded and sat down at the table next to Raven.

"Has anyone seen Oliver? I wanted to give him one with a badger on it..." Alice looked around, trying to pick him out among the Hufflepuff table.

"Haven't seen him since this morning." James commented, grabbing some hash and putting it onto his plate. Alice frowned in disappointment, clutching the badger necklace in her right hand.

"I suppose I'll go look for him." She sighed as if the extra travel time would mess up her daily schedule and moved from the table, heading out of the hall. Raven watched her before reaching behind her, unclasping the necklace and getting a better look at it. She held it up to the light, the silver of the raven pendent making it glimmer as if it was enchanted with the luck Alice had spoke of.

"Wonder where she got the silver to make this." Raven spoke as she tilted her head. Rose sheepishly held her hand out to look at it, Raven happily handing it over for her to examine.

"Do you think she transmuted it?" James looked at the pendent over his cousin's shoulder, studying the design on it.

"Transmuted?" Raven looked at the necklace once it was handed back to her.

"Yeah, you know with Alchemy. They cover it in that book she had us searching for that one night. Think she learned it from there?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, she has read that book front to back nearly a hundred times. She must be a master at potions now." She stated, wrapping the chain around her wrist. With the raven pendent in her palm, Raven glanced up at the large magic sky that covered the ceiling above them. She wouldn't let them down.

* * *

><p>"Here we are at the first match of the school year! Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff! And it looks like the whole school has shown up to root for their favorite teams!" The announcer's voice amplified through the microphone as the crowds in the stands of the Quidditch Pitch cheered. High within the stands James, Albus, Rose and Alice sat together, bundled up in their winter clothes since the air was becoming crisp in October. Down below at the team entrances Raven's eyes stared ahead of her. Her grip on her broom was tight and she had a look of determination on her face, eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She reached up behind her head, tightening the hair tie that kept her long hair back and out of the way, then made a double check of her broom. She had taken the necklace Alice had made for her and looped it around the end of her broom, the raven pendent hanging like a reminder of good will in front of her.<p>

"This is our first game of the year, let's be sure to start it off with a bang alright?" The captain smiled at his team mates, they all smiling at each other and nodding. "What ever happens out there, we know we put our all into it."

"And now, I'd like to introduce this year's Ravenclaw Quidditch team!" The voice from outside called and the team captain placed his hand on Raven's shoulder.

"You'll do great, I see high expectations in you." He mused, then mounted his broom, waving for the rest of the team to follow. "Mount and fly team!"

Just like that they were off. Raven quickly mounted her broom and flew out with the rest of the team, pulling her goggles down over her eyes to keep the wind from blinding her. The cheers of the student body seemed to ring all around her as she flew up into the air, getting in her place in line next to her team mates. As the Ravenclaw team settled in the air, the announcer now called for the Hufflepuff team. It was like a wall of bees as they exited their holding, the yellow and black Quidditch jackets came swarming out to form a line directly across for the their opposing team. Near the end was Oliver, a small bat in his hand. He had tried out for a Beater it seemed, and got the spot.

It was hard to imagine such a timid boy was going to be the one smacking Bludgers at you. Raven smiled down at him, giving a slight wave but he didn't seem to respond, simply stared ahead like a soldier about to head to war. A frown played on her lips and her hand slowly lowered down to grip her broomstick once more. Once the team had exchanged words of luck to each other they began to arrange themselves on the field as so. Keepers took their spot in front of the goal hoops, Chasers moved to the middle and Beaters moved to the sides. The Seekers were to hang back until the Snitch was released onto the field.

Madame Crow glanced between the two head Chasers as she held a Quaffle under her arm. Asking if they were both ready, she held the ball up in her arms. When they both agreed she flicked her hands up, throwing the single Quaffle in the air while the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Chasers fought to get it first. She then moved to release the Bludgers, the two metal spheres flying off into the air to create their mayhem. Just like that the game was started, the Hufflepuff Chaser managed to wrestle his way in first to grab the Quaffle and bolted through the air, passing it along to another Chaser on his team while they raced to the goal hoops.

Raven made sure to keep away from the fray, she flying just around the edges of the pitch while she listened for any signs that the Snitch would be released soon. The raven pendent fluttered in he breeze as she sped up, keeping her eyes peeled for anything with a gold glint. Above her she could hear the announcement for ten points awarded to Hufflepuff, of which the Quaffle was quickly obtained by a Ravenclaw and thrown into the air for her fellow Chasers to obtain. Raven leaned up, her broom carrying her higher and above the commotion so she could get a better look at where she was. It was then she could see the Hufflepuff Seeker making his rounds, looking for the Snitch once it would be released.

"Look out!" A voice called out to her, Raven's head whipping around to see one of the Bludgers flying at her. She made an attempt to duck but it wasn't needed as one of the Ravenclaw Beaters placed himself between her and the impact, using his bat to knock it away. She was so intent on finding the Snitch she almost forgot about those things.

"Don't start getting tunnel vision now." The Beater smirked at her before flying off to protect another of his team mates. Raven gave a nerdy push of her goggles up her nose to bring them closer to her eyes and moved along, her eyes now keeping an eye out for wayward Bludgers as well. Part of her wanted to find Oliver and see where he was, but in the mass of yellow and black coats, it was hard to pick out who was who. He also didn't seem to interested in seeing her when the game began. That frown had returned to her face as she flew along slowly, looking at the ground below.

The game continued on, back and forth the teams scored against one another. Bludgers were dodged, Quaffles were thrown. The score was now an even 100 for both teams. Raven had begun to realize that being a Seeker for the first half of the game was a rather boring job. But this would all pay off in the end, and soon the magical words she was waiting to hear rang out over the amplifiers.

"And it looks like the Snitch has been released! Who ever catches it could win the game for their team!" Raven's head snapped up at the glint of gold that flew past her and with a sharp turn of her broom she was after it. The small golden ball darted left and right, up and down, made sharp turns that made her fly past it but she still kept her sights on it. The Hufflepuff Seeker noticed her chasing something down and proceeded to rush after her, his eyes catching sight of the small object as well. Raven glared back as she caught sight of him coming up behind her and began to falsely dart to the side. The only reason he was following was because he was certain she was chasing it.

Her mind began form a plan, her eyes narrowing behind the lenses of the goggles over her eyes. From the corner of her eye she could see a Bludger rushing towards them, a grin forming on her face as a result. She turned herself to start flying head on to it, as she predicted the Hufflepuff Seeker followed.

"What is she doing?" Albus blinked as he watched, James hovered over him with his arms resting over his shoulders from behind using him as a leverage.

"It appears she's going to try and psyche out the other Seeker. She's leading him right towards a Bludger and before it hits her, she's going to move out of the way and let it hit him." Alice spoke, biting the side of her index finger through her glove afterwords. The group of students around them all gave Alice an odd look. This girl was closer to Raven then anyone and could predict her movements as if she was within her head.

Raven glanced behind her quickly to make sure the seeker was still following her. He was right on her tail, trying to look around her to see if she was close to catching the Snitch or not. Wrapping her hands tightly around the broomstick, Raven yanked it upward and flew upright and out of the way. The Hufflepuff Seeker looked blankly ahead of him now that he was alone and once he caught sight of the Bludger heading for him he tried to veer to the side. He didn't hit it head on, but instead got clipped by it, the metal ball slamming into his arm and causing him to flip sideways off his broom.

The Seeker held onto the broomstick as he desperately tried to climb back onto it. Raven was farther away from the scene now, locking on to the Snitch and pursuing it with speed. The distraction of the other Seeker trying to get back onto his broom was all she'd need in order to catch the Snitch. Around her she could hear the crowd cheering for her, she could almost single out the voices of her friends. Her hand reached out, fingers just about to touch the gold of the small ball.

She felt the cool metal against her skin, then suddenly pain and blackness. The audience gasped out as the Ravenclaw Seeker was struck with a Bludger just moments before she caught the Snitch. Raven's body felt weightless as it plummeted to the ground, moments from hitting the ground before someone swooped down, catching her body on their broom. Madame Crow kept hold of Raven as she teetered on the end of her broomstick, signaling to the crowd and the players that she was alright. What was second on everyone's mind though was whether or not she caught the Snitch.

Raven's hand was clutched tightly together, with a little effort Crow managed to pry her fingers open. Wings flapping feebly, the Snitch was found tightly held in her hand. With wide eyes, the woman slowly took the Snitch from her and held it up in her hands to the crowd above. A roar of cheers and applause erupted from the stands, however the area where Raven's friends had been were now empty as they were rushing to get down to where Raven's limp body was being held.

"RAVENCLAW WINS! RAVENCLAW WINS THE GAME!" The announcer called out over the amplifiers.

"RAVEN!" Rose called out as they rushed down onto the field. Madame Crow lifted her head to look at them as she lowered her broom to the ground.

"She'll be fine, she's just knocked out. We should get her to the hospital wing though, she was hit pretty hard in the back." Crow instructed, holding Raven in her arms while Albus gave her a look of desperate pleading. He didn't want to see his friends hurt, let alone the horror that this could happen to him if he were to try out for Quidditch some time in the future.

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><p>That comforting feeling of darkness was soon over as Raven's eyes slowly opened. Her back ached if she even dared to move, the small movement of sitting up was enough to cause her to black out again. With teeth grit in her mouth, she glanced around the area she was in. A number of beds lined the walls where she was, however they were all empty. She was the only one in here. Raven's head lowered and she groaned, easing herself back onto her back while she tried to keep her pain to a minimum. The table next to her was littered with cards and gifts of get wells, a pot of flowers among the middle of them.<p>

The hand closest to them reached over, taking the card out that rested within the flowers. Wrapped around it was the raven necklace that Alice had made for her. She held I up above her head, watching as the bird glittered in the candlelight of the medical hall. A smile crept on her face and with that she lowered it to read the note within the flowers. It was a small note from her 4 closest friends, Alice, Rose, Albus, and James. A light frown came to her face when she found a lack of Oliver's name.

With a grunt of pain she pushed herself to sit up, glancing around at the other gifts she had received. There were various candies and single flowers, notes of congratulations from her housemates, and at the edge of the table there was a yellow envelope that balanced. With more strain Raven reached to grab it, cringing in pain as she fell back on her back and looked at the seal on the flap. It was simply a blot of wax to keep it shut. Sliding her finger under the flap she broke the wax seal and pulled out the small bit of parchment that had been torn to become smaller. With eager hands she unfolded the scrap and read the note.

_I am so sorry._

_Please feel better soon._

It wasn't signed and this caused Raven to frown once again. She flipped the paper around, looking for some clue as to who left it for her. At the sound of the door opening Raven's head shot upward, gray eyes coming into focus on the boy entering the room. Oliver closed the door behind him, unaware that Raven was awake. She quickly and somewhat silently laid back down, the pain in her back was excruciating.

Oliver walked the long hall to Raven's bed, looking at the things that had been moved since Raven had awoken. Everything was still now, she apparently went back to sleep. He sighed and sat in a chair next to her bed, guilt ran rampant through his head. He was the reason she was in here, he was the one that hurt her. In a desperate attempt to keep her from getting the Snitch, he had knocked a Bludger in her direction. He had never imagined the force behind it would cause her to become injured, even with the cushioning charm placed upon the ball to keep players safe.

"I'm sorry Raven. I know I keep coming in here and telling you this, but I truly am sorry. If I had not let the game get in the way of my actions." He spoke to her, but to himself at the same time. Oliver's head hung low with shame. He didn't even deserve to be in the same room as her. Quietly he pushed himself up out of the chair but stopped, startled by the sound of Raven's voice.

"O-Oliver, wait." She cracked out. It was the first time she tried to talk since she was brought here. Oliver froze, looking back at her and then turned once he forced himself to look at her face. To his surprise she didn't have a look of anger or emotional hurt on her face. She forced herself to sit upright again and gave him a smile, a true smile.

"Raven, I didn't mean-" He began, but was cut off when Raven held her hand up to silence him.

"That was a fun game, wasn't it?" She said, a light smile on her face still. Oliver looked confused on her casual topic.

"Y-Yeah." He said quietly. Raven held her hand out to him, he reluctantly taking it in his own. With Raven behind the strength, the two shook hands.

"Good game, Mister Reed." She grinned at him, and slowly a light smile formed on his own face, replacing the look of worry he constantly held.

"Good game, Miss Taylor." He replied, releasing her hand once she did his own.

"Did you see how I got rid of that Seeker? Wasn't that brilliant?" Raven laughed, Oliver laughing in return. The two discussed the game in animated chatter, excited speeches dictating how Raven was clever on a broom, how how Oliver was skilled with the bat. Raven even made light of him smacking her in the back with the Bludger so easily. Oliver was no longer feeling regret, for Raven had shown him forgiveness even without actually mentioning it.


	10. All Hallows Eve

**Author's Note: **I have just noticed I've been spelling Gryffindor wrong. That is gonna get fixed. xD**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

**All Hallows Eve**

The beginning of October had brought along the start of the Quidditch season. Raven had recovered quickly from her incident with the Bludger, and even now Oliver felt guilty over what he had done. The month had passed on and school proceeded as normal, and now it was near the end of the month and the school was in festive spirits as the holiday of Halloween drew near. The halls were filled with bats fluttering around, much to most girls' disapproval, and instead of lighting The Great Hall with the normal floating candles, it was now lit with decorative floating jack-o-lanterns. Raven's excitement was growing with the decorations as they appeared more and more frequently.

It seemed that with the holiday growing, Peeves couldn't wait to get started on the special pranks he had been saving for Halloween. He would drop spiders in the student's hair, loosening the pipes in the restrooms to have water spray the students. It was hard for the staff to keep up, mopping up his pranks while he was off doing others. Raven was pretty good at escaping the fate of being pranked so far. She hoped she would make it the rest of the year without have to meet Peeves face to face.

Students were gathered in the hall on a Monday morning, the day before Halloween. They were feasting on breakfast with pumpkin juice, milk, or water. It was odd that for two months, no one had seen much of the Headmaster, all announcements were made by Professor Thornwood, the assistant Headmistress. The Great Hall was alive with voice and conversation this morning, but it was hushed when Thornwood stood and tapped her goblet with a fork, calling for everyone's attention to turn to the front of the room to the faculty.

"Good morning students. I hope that you are fairing well, despite the recent outbreaks of Peeve's pranking." There was a groan from a few students that had been this morning's victims. "First off I would like to discuss tomorrow's festivities. I know in the past the school has been kept strict when it came to celebrating this holiday, but this year I would like to add more fun to the mix. As you all know tomorrow is All Hallows Eve, or Halloween as most of you know it as. I have made some new rules just for that night, and that night only.

"Costumes will be permitted, as long as they do not interfere with attending your classes. That means no transfiguration of yourself. As I stated, you will still be attending classes, do not think because it is this holiday you can skip them! The night will be met with our traditional Halloween feast and as a treat to all the students, we have decided to have a Trick-or-Treat event. Everyone will be allowed to stay up later than usual and in this time you may go door to door at the classrooms and receive candies.

"With that being said, I do hope this year will be a wonderful experience for the student body, along with the staff. You are dismissed." Professor Thornwood clapped her hands together once and the students were dismissed off to their classes. Raven stood up from her table, gathering her things and placing them into her bag. They were allowed to wear costume huh? She stood a moment, thinking of ideas that she could be. Alice came up beside her, smiling with a look of excitement on her face.

"I know exactly who I'm going to be." She stated without Raven even asking the question. A look of confusion on her face, Raven gave an 'Ehh?' sound as she walked out of the hall with her.

Throughout the day Raven tried to think of an idea that would be good for a costume, something different. She was struggling in that department, coming up with unique ideas only to disregard them when she felt that they were too plain. While sitting in her Transfiguration class, Raven was using her quill to jot down notes on a spare piece of parchment paper. Her mind was completely deluded away from the lesson, and the professor took note of it, clearing her throat before levitating a book near her desk and letting it slam. The sudden sound caused Raven to jerk back in her chair, quill falling from her hand.

"Y-Yes Professor?" She squeaked out, causing the class to snicker slightly at her misfortune.

"Were you listening at all today?" The professor glared at her through a pair of half-moon spectacles. It was amazing the resemblance this woman held to the former Transfiguration Professor.

"Er..." Raven began, but was silenced as the older woman held her hand up.

"If you were truly listening, then you will know how to turn this candle into a feather." The teacher pointed to the unlit candle sitting on her desk. Eyes lowering to the wax stick on her desk, Raven glared down at it like she suddenly detested even being in the same room as it. She rose her wand in the air, nervously glancing at the watchful eyes of the teacher before reciting the incantation and wand movements she half paid attention to. The wick on the end of the candle sizzled, popped, a flame burst onto the fibers. No transformation, just the lighting of the candle, Raven grimaced.

"Miss Taylor, perhaps if you were paying attention you-" The Professor began but suddenly stopped when the flame on the candle suddenly grew. It was expanding, eating the wax of the candle in ravenous hunger for substance. Raven quickly backed away as the flames licked at the wood of her desk and the panicked screams of her classmates filled the air. With quick thinking before the fire got out of hand, the professor whipped out an Aguamenti spell to quench the flames.

"I-I'm sorry!" Raven spilled out her words, her hands failing her as she tried to use them to explain herself.

"Out in the hall." The professor pointed towards the door. With a frown the student picked up her bag, heading to the door and pushing it open with her shoulder. The class watched while the old wooden door creaked open, then shut with a loud thump.

Raven placed her back against the wall, dropping her bag at her side while she closed her eyes. She couldn't seem to accept the fact that not everyone was good at everything. She was sure if she had paid attention she wouldn't have almost caught the classroom on fire, but even then, would she have been able to do the spell correctly? She had only been here two months and already she was doubting her ability to be a witch. It was times like this she just wanted to go home, go back to the life of a Muggle, not have to worry about if she was going to pass or fail due to a magic trick. Head hung low, Raven waited for the professor to enter the hall and speak to her about paying attention in class.

* * *

><p>Classes were short the next day in order for students to get ready for the Halloween feast. Raven still had not found out what she was going to wear, and the evening was coming in close. Students were already dressing in their costumes, interesting enough they were not those of normal Muggle costumes. Raven sat at the Hufflepuff table across from Oliver who was dressed oddly normal. His messy brown hair was the same, he wore small round framed glasses and had drawn a lightning bolt shaped mark on the side of his forehead in what looked like red marker. Instead of his Hufflepuff robes, he wore those of Gryffindor.<p>

Raven stared at him the moment she sat down, trying to figure out who he was supposed to be. She finally threw her hands up in surrender of her pondering, pointing at him with a look of udder confusion. Before she had a chance to answer her question her head was shifted slightly to the side as James placed his arm on her head and leaned against her. His eyes fell to Oliver and gave the same look that Raven previously had.

"Who are you supposed to be?" He asked, Oliver grinning as he patted the clever robes of his costume.

"I'm The Boy Who Lived!" He said proudly.

"That's a stupid costume." James said bluntly and continued to lean against Raven, she wasn't really moving him while she was in contemplation of who this 'Boy Who Lived' was.

"W-What? Why?" Oliver frowned, peering at James from behind the lenseless frames.

"First off, it's my dad. That's just weird." He gave a awkward face and moved off Raven when she finally pushed him off.

"Who's 'The Boy Who Lived' anyway?" Raven asked, looking up at James. He did say it was his dad, so she would look to him for an answer to this question.

"Er … well, that's what they used to call my dad back when he was our age. When he was a baby he survived the Killing Curse thanks to my grandma. She sacrificed herself for him and in the end Voldermort lost his body when the curse rebounded and my dad was left with just the scar. I dunno the whole story, I didn't really pay attention when he told us how he got his scar." James shrugged as he spoke, then looked to Oliver. "Still a dumb costume."

"Well I'm not changing it, I like it." He sneered at him, then blinked as a slender hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new _celebrity_." Alice's calm voice spoke from behind him. Oliver whipped around, looking up at her sneering face. She had enchanted her eyes to be a black color and wore robes the color of ink. A button up ebony shirt covered her upper body, the collar of it nearly tight around her neck. Alice was dressed as her idol, Severus Snape.

"THIS. IS. STUPID." James grit his teeth as he spoke through them. The irate Potter was soon joined by his brother and cousin, Rose was dressed like a cat, enchanted costume ears and tail worked just like the real thing, twitching and moving with her emotion. Albus was dressed in rich purple robes, small spectacles on his face and a fake beard that was white and long. He was dressed as Albus Dumbledor.

"Nice costume Oliver!" Albus grinned giving him a thumbs up and caused his older brother to slam his forehead to the table.

"Hey thanks!" The brown haired Harry Potter beamed at Albus, Rose had gone to her cousin's side while Raven shook him slightly to check if he was okay. James groaned, holding his head as he tried to block out the stupidity of the environment around him.

"Raven, where's your costume?" Rose asked as she lifted her head, patting James' back.

"Oh, well I haven't thought of one yet." Raven responded, glancing to Alice to see her studying her in much the same way the famous Snape would observe his students. She was started to get unsettled by those black eyes watching her and turned her head away to look back at James who wouldn't lift his head.

"I have an idea for you." Alice said and suddenly snapped her hand across the table, pulling Raven over it and out of the hall.

By the time Raven's costume was finished it was almost time for the Halloween feast. Alice was making last minute touches to the wings behind her, waving her wand and enchanting the feathers to work as real wings, as if they were attached directly to her. Raven glared in the mirror across from her in the girl's bathroom, her mouth was covered with a plastic beak and her entire body was covered in black feathers. Alice's idea had turned to one of irony, Raven was now dressed like a raven.

"This is stupid..." Raven groaned, sounding much like James while Alice moved to place the headdress of black feathers on her hair.

"Nonsense, you look delightful, and now you don't have to change your name." Alice grinned, patting her head and taking her hand to lead her back to the Great Hall. The feast was about to begin and Alice parted ways with Raven as she moved to the Slytherin table. Wings folded behind her, Raven made he way to the Ravenclaw table, trying to avoid the eyes of the people staring at her. When she sat down her wings opened in relief, smacking the hat off a Ravenclaw next to her dressed as a werewolf. The avian girl groaned and hid her face in her hands as her wings folded back behind her.

The tables were lined with buckets of various candies and treats. Goblets were filled with Butterbeer warmed up to compliment the cold outside. Serving plates were filled with traditional harvest foods, pumpkin pies for desert. Everything looked absolutely amazing. Raven filled her plate with a few sweet potatoes and slices of turkey. Stabbing some meat with her fork she went to place it in her mouth, but it was blocked by the plastic beak over her mouth. Growling under her breath, she pried open the beak with her fork and shoved the piece of meat in.

As the students ate and enjoyed the feast, Professor Thornwood stood, addressing them while the faculty finished their own meals and prepared to return to their classrooms for the trick-or-treating portion of the night. The students lifted their heads, giving her their attention while a few others continued to eat.

"I do hope you all are enjoying yourselves. Once you are finished with your meal you may head out into the school to do your begging. As always, you know what floors are off limits and the Forbidden Forest is not to be entered. Anyone found out there will have detention for 2 weeks and will lose fifty points from their house." Thornwood motioned to the hourglasses on the wall. Each one was filled with gems the same color as their houses, rubies for Gryffindor, sapphires for Ravenclaw, emeralds for Slytherin, and topaz for Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was holding the lead at this point due to their winning of the Quidditch match.

Professor Thornwood sat back down to finish her meal while students that were finished were starting to get up. Raven tried shoving the last of her food through the plastic beak and once she was finished stood up from the table. Her wings opened again, causing one of the students to get an uppercut by her wing. She whipped around, apologizing profusely while her wings calmly folded back behind her. Alice stood at the entrance to the hall along with everyone else of their small group of friends, waiting for her to waddle to them once she could gain control of her balance.

"Alice this was a stupid idea." Raven barked at her. Alice simply looked at her with those black eyes.

"I think it looks adorable." She retorted, grinning at her before heading out into the halls. Each student that wanted them was given a small cauldron with a handle to collect their treats in. Albus and Rose looked extremely excited about this new event, while James was only in it for the candy. He really didn't want to be hanging around people dressed up of his father's past. He quickly rushed to find his other friends while they were in the mess of students heading to classrooms.

The group of friends moved door to door, holding cauldron's up for treats. Professor Flitwick was absolutely delighted of Oliver's costume, calling him a sharp likeness and even gave Albus house points for portraying his namesake. Raven seemed to only get looks of sympathy for her costume. She glared the opposite way while some students laughed. Slughorn didn't seem to get what Raven was supposed to be and mistakenly took her as portraying a black angel of death, which he didn't like the idea of very much.

Heading out to Hagrid's hut, Alice stopped them as she held her hand out. Ahead of them they saw the three Slytherin boys from Oliver's past, along with a fourth boy with slicked back hair almost the same color as Raven's own. Alice seemed to growl a little as she lowered her arm, starting to stride after them. They were heading into the Forbidden forest.

"Alice what are you doing? We can't go in there!" Raven hissed out at her, following after. Oliver followed as well, but Albus and Rose chose to stay behind at Hagrid's to wait for them.

"I will not have my house lose points because of some adventure seeking morons want to break the rules. We're going to stop them." She spoke over her shoulder, moving into the forest with Raven and Oliver hot on her heels. The boys continued deep into the woods, seeming to pull along their unwilling classmate. Raven frowned at the boy's struggling and moved faster to keep in pace with Alice.

"I know the three boys from Oliver's bullying, but who's that forth one?" She asked, watching the platinum blond hair move in and out between trees.

"Scorpius Malfoy, pure-blood family line. He's a bit of a wuss if you ask me." Alice sighed, pulling out her wand to find a better way to slow the boys down. As they drew in closer when they seemed to slow she pointed her wand outward and shouted _Incarcerous_. At once ropes flew from her wand whipping through the air and tangling around the four boys, making them trip to the ground.

"... What?" Raven gawked, looking between the rope and the wand. Oliver glanced at Alice, a small look of confusion on his face.

"You know a lot of spells you shouldn't know yet..." Oliver looked back to the boys struggling while he spoke.

"Self taught." Alice muttered, storming up to the boys. The smaller one known as Scorpius wailed out, yelling about being trapped by snakes. When he saw the Slytherin girl his mouth shut tight and he became silent.

"What do you think you're doing?" One of the boys spat out at her, looking over his shoulder to try and see her.

"Stopping you from making Slytherin lose house points." Alice growled back, reaching down and pulling them up with surprising strength. Scorpius whined out again, but fell silent once more as those dead eyes of a shark stared down at him from Alice.

"We weren't doing anything!" One of the boys shouted. Alice gave them no mind, shoving them to walk towards the the entrance of the forest. That was, if she knew where it was. Alice came to a stop as she glanced around the trees, each one looking the same. She looked around to her friends, both Raven and Oliver giving her a look of confusion.

"Do you remember where we came from?" She asked them. Both of her friends shook their head, the boys shaking their head as well. With a groan Alice placed a hand over her face then removed it while she studied the forest floor, trying to find their footprints among the dead leaves and dirt. The end of her wand lit up, lighting the small area around them.

While Alice tried to figure out the way back home, Raven glanced around the forest, standing closer to Oliver as shadows weaved in and out between trees. She reached over, grabbing his arm and clinging to it tightly. All around them the sounds of the forest were becoming more alive. The silence held between them caused the noises of the creatures within to become more audible. The ground seemed to move softly under their feet.

Raven opened her mouth to say something, but it was cut short when the softly moving ground began to tremble. Gray eyes darted left and right, the movement finally catching the attention of Alice who held her wand upright to light the area better. Low growls filled their ears, seeming like it was coming at them from all angles. Scorpius' whining suddenly became screams as he pointed with his foot into the trees. Alice move her wand to see where he pointed, her grip on it nearly dropping as they became face to face with a beast.

Each muzzle was grayed with age, deep brown eyes glared at the small children before them. The loud growling of a dog came from each mouth, slobber dribbling out from under snarled lips. The light shed on it by Alice's wand showed three snarling dog heads, each one about as big as one of them. Three heads connected to one body, making the figure of a large three headed dog. Everyone was frozen with fear, once more Scorpius' wails were now silent while one of the large heads sniffed in their direction.

His snarls grew louder and began to rush through the trees towards them. Without thinking Raven whipped around, screaming at the top of her lungs and running off in the other direction, everyone followed suit. Alice's concentration broken, the ropes that clung to the boys was slacked, letting them free and they took off into the woods. Scorpius was still frozen in fear, and Alice quickly snatched him by the arm, pulling him with her while she ran. The young boy tripped here and there as he was pulled along, but cooperated in order to have his life saved.

The heavy padding of giant canine feet pounded in the back of Raven's head. The three headed dog could not chase them all at once, so he went after the first one to flee. The beast barked viciously behind her, gaining speed on what her own little legs could carry her. Kicking off his back legs, he soared over her, landing in her path and causing her to slide to a stop. Raven screamed out, twisting her body to turn around and run the other way.

She stumbled, tripping over a tree root and hitting the ground with her face. Her glasses shattered under the pressure of her body weight, the glass cutting into her flesh, blood dripped from her cheeks. With effort Raven pushed herself up, flipping her body around to back track across the dirt. The dog drew closer, growling while his heads lowered to sniff out his prey, causing her to back herself against the tree she was trapped in front of. Was this it? Was this how she was going to die? Torn to pieces and eaten by a three headed canine?

Tears mixed with blood as Raven began to think of the end, she couldn't see far ahead of her so the dog was nothing but a menacing shadow. The beast drew closer, then almost like a flash one of his mouths opened, ready to snap down on her. Her scream flooded the air, birds in the above trees lingering out into the sky from the disturbance. Shaking, Raven held her arms up in front of her face, dirt dripping onto her skin as a pillar of earth stood in front of her. A chunk of it was missing while the three headed dog flopped one of his tongues out of his mouth in an attempt to relieve himself of the dirt taste.

Her eyes slowly opened, looking at the damaged wall of dirt. She didn't understand how it had gotten there, surely it wasn't there before. Raven had no time to rest, the other heads were already trying to achieve where the first one had failed. The dog heads barked, snapping at her only to receive a mouth full of dirt as one by one a pillar made of the ground sprung up around his prey. Growing ever more agitated by these blockages, the dog began to dig at the dirt around her.

Raven jumped and yelped with every slam of their paw, she holding her arms over her head to try and make all this go away. She thought of using spells but she had left her wand in her dorm since she thought she wouldn't need magic. She had become a sitting duck. Her barrier of earth was being worn away bit by bit, the claws of the old dog digging into it. Raven screeched out when one of the paws busted through and without warning the earth under the large beast shot up, hitting him in the stomach and causing him to yelp and back away.

"Fluffy! Bad dog!" The sound of that gruff voice was like music to Raven's ears. Hagrid came bounding out from the trees, Rose and Albus close behind. The three headed dog turned, growling at the half giant but stopped once a soft tune of flute began to play. Fluffy's three heads growled lower and lower till he flopped to the forest floor, lips flapping as he breathed out of them and closed his eyes. Hagrid smiled, after all these years the silly dog still couldn't stand up to the sound of good music.

"Right then," He gave that warm smile to the frightened girl in the half destroyed dome of earth. "best git out of thar before he wakes up." Arms and legs shaking, Raven couldn't find the strength to lift herself up. She felt like all the energy had been drained from her. Adrenaline rush gone, she was left as a weak, motionless child. Hagrid could see her struggle and motioned for Rose to keep the enchanted flute playing. Once she had taken over he moved to Raven's sanctuary, pushing away the dirt walls with ease and picking her up into his arms. She clung to the fur of his coat, the light of the lantern Albus held reflecting off her dirty face caked with blood and dirt.

"Where's tha rest of yer friends?" Hagrid asked, Raven pointing silently into the forest. With a grunt and a nod he lead the children farther in. One by one her friends and enemies were found. Oliver had climbed up a low tree to avoid anything on the ground, while Alice and Scorpius were found hiding in a small cave. The three Slytherin boys were each found trying to cover themselves in leaves to try and camouflage themselves from Fluffy.

Knowing the forest well, Hagrid was able to lead them back out of the forest safely with Albus still manning the lamp. Scared of what else may follow, the boys including Scorpius rushed back to Hogwarts. Alice, Oliver, and Raven remained behind.

"We're going to get in trouble, aren't we?" Oliver asked, looking around the crowded hut.

"I don' know wot ya' were thinkin' goin' out in the forest at all." Hagrid began, he was cut short by Alice as she intended to make her purpose clear.

"I was trying to stop my fellow students from making a mistake they would regret. Unfortunately we got lost quickly trying to find our way back." She sighed out, lowering her head.

"It's no' up ta me wot will happin' to ya', but if anythin' ya' will get sum sort of punishment. Thar's no' a lot that gets past the heads of the school."

"Please Hagrid! Slytherin can't afford losing anymore points! Can't you do something? Anything?" Alice pleaded to him. The large man sat thinking a moment, he normally didn't help the Slytherin house, let alone get requests to help them. But Alice was different from the rest of the lot, she wasn't hardhearted or snooty.

"I'll see wot I kin do..." He groaned out, but the lighting up of that girls face was all the payment he needed.

* * *

><p>"Did you feel it, my love?" A soft, feminine voice spoke from a plush high back chair placed in front of a fireplace. A woman dressed in black witches robes stroked the fur of a black cat in her lap while the light of the fire danced off her glazed eyes. Strait blond hair that reached to her mid back laid parted to the sides, giving her face a window.<p>

"Aye, do you think they have finally shown themselves?" The purring cat answered her, standing from her lap and then jumping down to the pewter black floor. The cat's shape began to change, shifting into the form of a human man. His black hair was long, slicked on top and tied back. Only a single strip of gray on the right side of his head was seen mixed in the black mess of his hair. The man in equally black robes sat on the arm of the chair, peering into the fire as well.

"There was no doubt about it." The woman mused, looking up to the man with adoring eyes. "However there was only one, the remaining three have yet to show themselves. We will wait and see if this is the real thing, and not another disturbance."

"Very well. To think after all these years, these generations, they decide to show themselves now..." The man groaned, being pulled into the lap of the female.

:"Hush my love, our families have waited centuries for this, it is our destiny to usher them back into the world again." She purred softly to him, letting her fingers entwine themselves within his locks of hair. He only sighed, glaring into the fire as if trying to see something through it, a sign or a clue. His partner beamed, softly smelling the sweet scent of his freshly washed hair.

"The others will show themselves, it is only a matter of time..."


	11. The Prophecy

**Author's Note: **Things are starting to get a little dark. As everyone knows, peace can't last forever.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

**The Prophecy**

"Miss Taylor, Miss Carinana, Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Reed, please report to the Headmaster's office." Professor Thornwood's voice rung through the halls of the old castle. Each student looked up from their classes, the teachers dismissing them to settle what was needed of them. One by one the students met up on the way there, Alice walked with a nervous looking Scorpius while Oliver made his way around the corner, meeting up with Raven. The four stood in front of the gargoyle statue, it staring down at them with menacing eyes.

"You are expected." The stone beast grunted, sliding out of the way to give them access to the Headmaster's office. They moved into the door, heading up into the office. As normal the room was cluttered with books and objects of wonder. The opposite wall filled with the portraits of Headmasters past. Alice's eyes were drawn the portrait of Snape, his eyes watching as the students piled in.

While Alice moved to be closer to her idol, the three remaining stared ahead, convinced they were going to be punished for entering the forest. Raven grit her teeth thinking of what would happen. Would she be expelled? Would they send a note home to her parents? She had never gotten in trouble in school before, of course the one time she would it would be in an element she couldn't control.

The door to Thornwood's office opened and without looking at them she waved the children in. Oliver grabbed Alice to pull her away from her conversation with Snape's portrait and the four of them moved into the smaller office that was for the assistant headmistress.

"Sit." Thornwood motioned to the chairs in front of her desk, the students sitting down without question. The silence was strong, only broken by the steady pace of the pendulum on the clock on the wall. It was enough to drive someone insane let alone the wait she was putting them through. It was almost to the point where Raven couldn't take the guilt when the professor spoke finally to Scorpius.

"Mr. Malfoy. Can you please explain to me what you and your classmates were doing out in the forest on October thirty-first at eleven twenty three pm.?" She looked over at him, the young boy looking back at her with a fearful look.

"I-I was being taken into the woods." He squeaked out.

"And why was that?"

"Those boys said … it was an initiation for all F-First year Slytherins."

"So you did not go into the forest on your own accord?"

"No ma'am." Scorpius replied last. Thornwood nodded, turning her attention to Alice who looked like she'd much rather be outside the office continuing her conversation with the portrait.

"And what were you doing out there Miss Carinana?" She spoke with a stern tone.

"I was going to find my classmates and return them to the school so we would not get in trouble. Raven and Oliver followed me to make sure I was safe."

"And what happened after you found them?"

"We got lost trying to find our way back and were attacked by something in the forest." Alice seemed to stare back at the woman in a fight of authority over the situation. Thornwood stared back at her, eyes narrowed.

"You three, is this true?" She turned her attention to Raven, Oliver, and Scorpius. They all nodded silently. The headmistress' eyes scanned each of them, then after moments of silence she smiled and nodded with confirmation.

"The stories match up then. Each of you will only lose ten points for your house, you still went into the forest and endangered your own lives. And you have detention for a week helping Professor Longbottom in the greenhouses."

"WHAT?" Scorpius blurted out. "I was forced to go in there!"

"Mr. Malfoy, there is a time and place to speak. This is not one of those times." Thornwood glared at him, causing the child to tightly close his lips. Her attention turned to the three others. "You are free to go, except you Miss Taylor. I need to speak with you farther."

Not really paying much attention until now, Raven lifted her head to face the woman. Her face was still covered in small cuts from her shattered glasses, the frames and lenses had been repaired thanks to Alice when they were in Hagrid's hut. The others left, leaving Raven and Professor Thornwood in the company of each other. The door shut and with that the young girl glanced back to the woman with a questionable look.

"What do you remember from your attack? I was informed you were assaulted by one of the beasts of the forest." Thornwood asked softly, leaning onto her desk to peer closer at Raven.

"Not much... I just remember being really scared, and smelling dirt..." She sighed, slouching back into the chair and looking away from prying eyes. Thornwood gave her a curious look, leaning back into her own chair.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing."

The woman paused, tapping her desk with her quill tip and leaving soft blots of ink on the blank parchment left there. "I see, in that case you are free to go."

"Thank you Professor." Raven stood feebly, trying to use her leg strength which had depleted. Once she wandered out of the office the door shut behind her and Thornwood stared at it for at least a moment's time. A sigh escaped her pursed lips, Thornwood gripping her wand tightly in her hand.

Conjuring a happy thought, silver light threaded from the tip of her wand, swirling and forming the shape of a fox. The patronus pranced about on the ground, the woman smiling at the shimmering canine and began to speak lightly so her words were clear but quiet to prying ears.

"Head of Ministry, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Your attendance is requested immediately at Hogwarts." She spoke to the fox of light and once her message was finished it bounded out the open window and into the sky.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mom and Dad,<em>

_This is my monthly to you. School is great, I'm learning_

_so much about magic and how to control it. I can't wait_

_until Christmas to come see you, only 2 more months to_

_go! Halloween was fun this year, there was a large feast_

_and we got to go trick-or-treating around the school. My_

_friend Alice made me dress up like a bird, while she went_

_as someone named Snape and my other friend Oliver went_

_as someone named 'The Boy Who Lived'. I guess that was_

_the name James and Albus' dad used to be called._

_Keep Tobi out of my room and tell Nat I miss her and hope_

_to see her at Christmas!_

_Love,_

_Raven_

She reviewed the letter as she sat outside on a bench. The cold air of November causing her to start to wear her winter robes and scarf. Par stood on the back of the bench next to her, nibbling at her ear affectionately as she scanned the words on parchment. She chose not to tell her parents about the Forbidden Forest. They would most likely find out about that soon enough from the school.

While it was something they would find out sooner or later, what had happened was something she wasn't sure. The ground moved with her fear, every time she felt death was close, the earth would rise to her defense. Was the forest helping her escape the fate of death? That must have been it. The forest was magical after all right? It must have been protecting her from Fluffy.

Raven closed her eyes, holding the folded paper in her lap. Why would the forest chose to protect her and no one else? Was there a reason for it? The questions swam through her head like koi fish, large and active. Par nipped at her ear once more, his good eye watching the moisture from her mouth float in the air in a thin fog.

Slowly she lifted the folded letter up, Par chattering to her before grabbing it in his beak and taking off into the sky. Raven watched as the white bird seemed to blend into the clouded sky and vanish within the puffs. She hoped the letter would find her parents well, she knew Par would make it, he had been delivering her letters without flaw. Once she could no longer see the owl she sat up, stuffing her hands in her pockets and heading down to the shore of the lake. For some reason she felt she had to go there.

Raven's head was hung low as she made careful steps along the frosted grass. She came to a stop at the edge of the water, looking at the monument before her. Broken in previous years, the grave of Albus Dumbledore stood fully repaired before her. A man she never met, never knew, and yet she felt an odd air of friendliness around him. Raven rounded the grave to make herself face him as he he was standing before her, her eyes locked on the nameplate with his name.

"Alice has told me a lot about you." Raven began to speak to the grave. Her voice was greeted with silence, that was all she was expecting.

"She says that you and that Snape guy were friends. Everyone adored you. I wonder if you think about how your school is doing." Slowly she sat on the grass the frost stinging her bare legs. "I heard everyone came to you when they had problems. Do they still do that now?"

Silence continued to be her answer, she frowned and looked down into her lap as she placed her hands over her skirt to hold it down. "I wish there was someone here now I could talk to that was like you. I'm sure you know everything there is to know about this school and the area around it."

"You can still talk to him you know." A voice interrupted her self conversation, she whipping around to see a young man in his late thirties standing behind her. He wore the long black robes that most of the faculty was issued for winter clothing, his brown hair trimmed short but still parted to the left. Raven turned, gray eyes meeting with a pair of brown ones. A cold wind danced around them like the meeting was planned.

"Huh?" Raven's delayed voice finally came out.

"Dumbledore, you can still talk to him. Have you never noticed the big painting behind the Headmaster's chair?" The man smiled, moving towards her and holding a hand out to her to help her up. Taking the hand, Raven lifted herself up to a stand.

"I … That's just a portrait..." She began, causing a smirk to spread across his face.

"Portraits and simple pictures are different here in this world. Next time you're in the Headmaster's office, try talking to his portrait. I'm sure he'll listen." He smiled down at her, then glanced up to the large monument that was the resting place of a once great headmaster.

"Do people come visit him here?" Raven glanced up to him, looking rather curious.

"Sometimes, though not much." The man looked back at her, offering what comfort in his smile he could. Raven looked down at the grass where she had been sitting, the frost having been melted from the heat of her own body.

"It's cold out here, you should come to the Greenhouses, if you have something you want to talk about, I can listen." He nodded lightly at her, waiting to see if she followed before moving on. When Raven started, he began making the small trek uphill back to the school. She followed, tripping a little here and there but managed to keep herself upright enough to make it to the top of the hill.

The Greenhouses were a short trip from where they were, once they arrived the man opened the door, allowing her in first before shutting it behind her. The room was warm and immediately Raven began to peel the layers of her coat and scarf off her. She hung her coat up on the coat rack and turned herself around to look at the plants of the room.

"You're Professor Longbottom..." She spoke softly, then suddenly grit her teeth and went stiff as she realized she'd never really looked at him when he taught.

"And you're Raven Taylor, the girl who never pays attention in my class." Neville chuckled, hanging his coat up.

"I-I'm sorry!" She began again, glancing to the sides but stopped once he held a hand up to silence her.

"It's not uncommon. A lot of people think Herbology is a boring class, they just don't see plants the way I and a select few people do. Besides I hear you're serving detention with me this week. We'll see if we can't change your mind about these plants." He laughed lightly, then gave a frown as he reached in his pocket, pulling out a small spherical object. It looked like a clear glass ball and it was cloudy within. It would glow red in his palm.

"What's that?" Raven asked, looking at it slightly.

"What? This? Oh, it's a Remembrall. It glows red when you've forgotten something. My grandmother got it for me in my first year to help me remember things. Funny, I still can't remember what I've forgotten." Neville grinned at her, handing it over so she could look at it. Once it came in contact with her touch it's cloudy insides returned to a normal gray, indicating there was nothing to remember. She smiled as she looked it over and handed it back to him where it once again lit up red. Raven's eyes traveled over the many plants in the room, then looked back to her professor. He knew a lot about plants, maybe he would know if the forest was actually protecting her.

"Professor Longbottom, do you know a lot about the Forbidden Forest?" She asked, looking up at him from behind her glasses. He glanced at her from his eye contact with the Remembrall and placed it in his pocket, looking out one of the steamy windows of the greenhouse.

"Well, I suppose I know a bit about it. Is there something wrong?"

"When we were stuck out in the forest, I was getting attacked. The ground kept coming up around me and protecting me from danger. Will the forest try to protect those within it sometimes?" Raven asked, looking up at him. Neville stared down at her, watching as she tried to search his face for an answer. He then turned his head away, looking out the window again.

"You know, I can't really say." He finally looked at her again. "You said the ground would rise up and protect you?"

"Yeah..." She answered. Neville was trying to think of something to say. In all honesty he had no idea what she was talking about. This would be something to tell the Headmaster about once he returned. If he did anyway. A nervous glance to his student, he cleared his throat and pointed towards a pot with dirt in it.

"Here, could you get me that pot?" He spoke, watching as she nodded and walked to pick it up. She brought it to him, setting it on the examination table. Neville watched for any signs of movement from the earth while she held it. Nothing happened. It was a curious story she had confided in him, the earth of the forest floor rising up to her protection. He was unsure as to how or why it would do so unless she was having some sort of hallucinations. That couldn't be the case though. While Raven stared at him, wondering why he had asked her to bring him a pot of dirt only to stare into it. Herbology sure was weird.

When Neville finally stopped scanning answers he lifted his head, then gave her a facade of a smile. Gently he took the pot and moved it to the side, then stood in silence. Raven looked sideways out the window, then apologized for the question while grabbing her winter robes from the coat stand. Before Neville could say anything else she darted out the door. He walked to the door after she left, watching as she jogged back into the school like she was late for something.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for coming Minister." Thornwood sat at the headmaster's desk while the older man of dark skin sat across from her. He nodded to her, politely placing his hands together in his lap while he listened to her.<p>

"It is no trouble, your Patronus sounded as if it was indeed urgent." Kingsley replied, watching as the spectral fox paced back and forth on the desk before vanishing once Thornwood frowned, her happy thought depleted.

"I called you here because of an incident on the thirty-first of October. As you know there was a … disturbance within the Forbidden Forest that night involving one of our students." She pushed forward a small paper clipped stack of papers, the first one Raven's student record, her picture on the front smiling back of at Kingsley when he took it into his hands.

"I need the Ministry's protection on this girl, without her knowing it." Thornwood said in a stern voice.

"I see, you believe this girl is the one the late prophecy spoke of?" Kingsley asked, setting the record back on the desk.

"I know so." The woman stood up from her chair, glancing to the empty portraits along the walls. She had asked the ones within them to leave for a private meeting with the Minister.

Kingsley chuckled, rising to a stand as well. "These Prophecies, never let us have a moment's peace do they? In this case I will see to it that she get the protection she needs. If anything it will be as if history will repeat its self."

"It is Kingsley! Trust me! I know these things! This is not something to be casually set aside as some kind of hoax. I am warning you now, things are going to change now that this has happened. The Headmaster has not returned and so in his wake I would advise that I replace him as Headmistress. I know what it will take to keep this school safe." Thornwood narrowed her eyes as she spoke loudly, trying to convey the gravity of the situation she felt. The Minister could see the look of desperation in her eyes, and gave a sigh as he closed his eyes and placed his hands in his pockets.

"The ministry will do what it can then. I will not appoint you as Headmistress just yet, but if you think is going on is true, I will want any and all cautionary movements applied. Our world has gone through two wars already, we do not need a third one."

"I will keep you updated as I can." She sighed, head lowered slightly. The Minister nodded, and turned, heading to leave. He sounded like he understood but she knew he didn't. No one understood what was coming, only herself and soon those of her family tree.


	12. Detention With Neville

**Author's Note: **I'd take detention with Neville any day. |D**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

**Detention with Neville**

By now Raven found herself covering the grounds towards the Greenhouses, heading to serve out her detention. She didn't really want to go, but it was better than the fate that the other Slytherin boys were placed in. They were to serve their detention out in the very forest they had intruded in with Hagrid. The forest to her now was a death trap, a place she would never set foot in again. It scared her, as it rightly should have before she even entered it.

Lifting her eyes to the steam covered windows of the Greenhouse, Raven reached up and opened the door, poking her head into the room. Inside her friends had already arrived and Neville had put them to work. Alice and Scorpius were filling pots with fertilizer and dirt while Oliver was with Neville as he showed him how properly trim back the overgrowth of a magical plant. Alice glanced from the pot she was filling and waved to Raven with her free hand, Scorpius simply glaring down into his fertilizer filled pot. Raven shut the door behind her and caused Neville to cut his attention away from his plant.

"Ah, Raven! Glad you could make it." He beamed at her, clapping his dirt covered hands together as he spoke. "I saved something just for you to do."

"Great." She muttered, causing her professor to frown. It didn't last long once he took her hand in his grubby own, causing Raven to flinch at the feeling of dirt against her skin. Neville led her to the front of the greenhouse, positioning her in front of three pots filled with dirt.

"Now I was going to save this for a future lesson but I think you'll like doing it now." Neville stood off to the side as he left Raven with no instruction as to what to do.

"_While Raven is in your care today, try exposing her to working with the dirt. See what happens if anything, report if she shows any signs of exceptional work." _Thornwood's words still rung in his head from this morning when she had called him into her office.

"... What do I do?" She looked back at him, causing Neville to snap out of his flashback.

"Oh right! Here, we're going to be planting these. Do be careful, these are rare seeds." Neville held a few small round, orange colored seeds in his palm. He pointed to one of the pots, a frown lining his face as he directed her next moves. "Go ahead and get some soil in your hands first, it's nice to mix them in the dirt before entering the pot."

Raven nodded and moved to get a small handful of dirt from the pots. She held it cupped in both hands, bringing it over to the professor. He still held a sorrowful look and slowly pushed one seed into the mound of dirt. Both of them looked down at the dirt, nothing happened. Neville let out a sigh of relief, that smile coming back to his face.

However Raven's head still remained down, looking at the plant starting to sprout and grow from her palm. The plant remained a sprout for only a few moments before growing taller, leaves spouting and turning a golden color while the blossom yielded seeds of the same size and color of the one that was placed in her hand. Gray gaze lifted up to meet the unsettled eyes of Neville as he looked at the plant. He lifted his eyes from the foliage to stare at her, treating her as if she was some kind of miracle worker.

"Is it supposed to do this?" Raven frowned, confused as to why he was staring in slight awe. Alice, Scorpius and Oliver had stopped their work, leaning back to get a better look at what had their professor in such dismay. Alice opened her mouth to speak but Neville was quick to catch her and began speaking to cover up anything she was about to say.

"O-Of course! It is … enhanced soil!" He laughed nervously, slowly reaching out and plucking the plant from Raven's hand. He put it in one of the pots labeled Dittany, then moved aside for her to put the soil back in the pot. Raven looked up at the plant, giving a light smile as she then glanced back to Neville.

"What a neat kind of soil." She rushed up to the pot, looking the plant over while Alice glared in Neville's direction. He gave his student a pleading look, ushering his hands at her to keep quiet about it.

"Yes, v-very rare indeed." He spoke over his shoulder at her. Oliver glanced between the silent battle that student and teacher were sharing, Scorpius finally shoving away his work when he looked at his watch.

"Detention is over, can we leave now?" He spoke with an annoyed tone. Neville glanced at the clock hung up above the door, then nodded with a sigh of relief.

"Yes, see you all tomorrow, and Raven, do be on time tomorrow so you actually spend time in detention." He added, watching as they all began to place on their robes.

"Sorry Professor Longbottom! I got lost again!" Raven shouted on her way out the door after Alice, Scorpius already darting towards the halls of the school. Once the greenhouse was clear Neville reached up and brushed back a bit of his hair. Grabbing his robes he closed the door behind him, heading into the school to report to Thornwood what he had witnessed.

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><p>The man's feet carried him down the halls and up stairs with swift motions. He knew these halls by heart now since he had gone here his childhood. Underneath black robes he wore a suit and tie of similar color, the fabric of his winter cloak billowing behind him like smoke as he walked quickly. Long black hair that hung to just below his shoulders in the front and longer still from behind was brushed back by the wind of his travels. The man had a cold and serious look of determination.<p>

He moved with urgency, stopping just at the gargoyle statue. Before he even had to guess what the password was he was allowed entrance when it grunted and moved to the side. Quickly he climbed the short staircase, throwing the door open to the Headmaster's office. Inside Thornwood was still in conversation with Neville who was telling her in detail what he saw.

"That will be all Mr. Longbottom. I ask you do the same tomorrow." She smiled at him, lifting her eyes to look at the man panting and out of breath at her doorway. Neville turned to look as well, giving a light smile to the man before creeping off to the side to move past him and out the door.

"What's wrong with my daughter? Is she in trouble?" The man gasped out, trying to gain his composure.

"Not in anymore trouble then she usually is, Mr. Carinana. Please, have a seat." Thornwood smiled lightly, offering her hand to the high-backed chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. He reluctantly sat down, but was grateful that he had done so to give himself time to readjust to this more slower pace.

"Mr. Potter sent me to Hogwarts right away, Is Alice alright? Her mother?" He sputtered out, looking like he was completely falling apart.

"Would you relax Xyronis? This has nothing to do with your daughter or your wife. They are perfectly fine." The assistant headmistress spoke with a slightly annoyed tone, eying him with one eye open.

"Oh, I see..." Xyronis coughed slightly into his hand, that look of worry and fear melting from his face and was replaced with that cold look of determination again. "I wasn't given much detail to our meeting, he only said I was needed at Hogwarts."

"Mr. Potter was right. As an Auror it is your job to offer protection to those of your clients. This is why you are called here today." Thornwood pulled out a copy of Raven's records and handed it over to him. Xyronis took them, looking over the information while the headmistress continued.

"In Hogwarts she is safe … for now. Once she leaves the property, it will be your responsibility along with select others to watch over her. She must not know of her protection, do you understand?" She folded her hands together on the desk, watching him once she finished speaking.

"There is no problem. Ever since the Dark Lord's fall there has not been much action at the office other than a few wayward witches and wizards." The man nodded taking the copy and folding it into his robes.

"Very well. I can see that you are going to do your job quite well. Do not let me down, Mr. Carinana." Thornwood raised her head slightly, looking at him over her hands that she had lifted to meet her lips. The man stood, holding his hand out to seal the deal. Standing as well, the headmistress took his hand in a firm shake then released him to leave. The man left down the stairs and out into the hall. Perhaps he'd pay his wife and daughter a visit while he was here.

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><p>As the days of their detention passed, Raven was guided under the watchful eye of Neville in her exploration of Herbology. The professor would give the other kids things to do while he would work with Raven and the 'rare soil' that would grow things instantly. Each time he would watch as the seed he would give her would spring up from the mound of dirt in her hand in the form of a sprout. He would then transplant the sprout into a pot and give her another to test. It seemed that no matter what kind of plant it was, Raven was able to produce a sprout. Alice would watch every day from the side lines while her friend was praised for her handling of this so called magic soil.<p>

When detention was over Raven stayed behind to learn more, leaving Alice, Oliver, and Scorpius to their own accords. Of course the blond haired boy left as soon as he could but Alice hung back once she and Oliver had left the greenhouse. The boy was about to head into the castle when she tugged on his arm, pulling him beside the other side of the wall. Flailing his arms, Oliver yelped about kidnapping before Alice slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Would you shut up? No one is kidnapping you, I have no idea why anyone would." She muttered once she let him go.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned, but his question wasn't answered as Alice made her own concerns noticed.

"Don't you think it's weird what Professor Longbottom is doing?" She pointed to one of the steamed windows as the two of them could see the back of professor's head.

"What? Teaching Raven about growing plants?" Oliver looked between her and the window.

"No, that 'special soil' that he's been letting her use. It's not special at all, it's just dirt."

"How do you know?"

"That's because I show up early. I tried doing their tricks myself and nothing happened. I don't see any explanation as to why it works for her but not me." Alice looked flustered, glaring off to the side as she slid her arms from her sleeves into the warmth of her cloak. Oliver looked back at her before giving a small smirk.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" He grinned, it growing wider as the look of defiance rose on his friend's face.

"I most certainly am not!" She snapped at him, glaring away.

"Okay then. You won't have to worry for long, tomorrow's our last day of Detention, then we won't have to come back here until classes." The Hufflepuff smiled at her, but her expression was hardly that of relief.

"That's not the point! The point is that something is going on and they're not telling us or Raven. Every time I try to tell her there's nothing special with the soil I get muted by some spell." Alice glared back at the greenhouse.

"Maybe there's things we're not meant to know?" He sighed, pulling away from their hiding spot and moving into the open hall of the castle. Alice reluctantly followed after him as she wished to continue the conversation.

"If nothing's going on then why was my father here the other day? He's an Auror, the only Auror that comes here on a regular basis is Mr. Potter who works with Defense Against the Dark Arts." Alice smirked, thinking for sure she had him cornered.

"I was there with you when he was here, he came to visit. You really look too deep into things Alice." Oliver walked ahead, heading to the Great Hall for dinner. Alice stayed behind, frowning as she looked ahead in utter disbelief. She knew something was going on, why wouldn't anyone believe her? It wasn't just a matter of pride now, she was going to find out for sure what was going on.

The last day of detention Alice kept quiet and to herself. Transplanting some sprouts that Raven had made, she glared down into the pot. There had to be a way to find out, a way to somehow get some leaked information. It was obvious that the school was involved in this little hushed project. What exactly were they hiding?

Wait, that was it! Alice smirked as she shoved a plant into the final pot. The school knew what was going on, which meant the head of the school knew. If they knew, then of course the portraits of the office would have heard what was going on. All she had to do was get in there, and she had just the idea on how it would be done.

When the final hour was over Alice bolted out the door, even faster then Scorpius who was normally the first one to leave. Throwing her scarf around her she ran across the ground to the hallway and soon to the Great Hall. It was dinner time and the hall was filled with the students. Quick strides led her to the Gryffindor table where she took hold of James' shoulder, shaking him quickly like a ragged doll. The boy flailed in his seat before falling backwards out of it and onto the floor.

"Oh yes my princess, what is it you wish of me?" James spoke up at her as he laid on his back.

"Favors James, we owe them." She said simply.

"Indeed, favors are to be owed." He replied. It was like some awkward poetry between the two, each one spoke in a tone of high regard to one another. James pushed himself up off the floor before bowing to her like one would to a person of royalty. Alice rolled her eyes and took his hand, pulling him out of the hall.

With Marauder's map in hand, both James and Alice watched the dots walk across the parchment under the cover of the Invisibility Cloak, another hand-me-down from father to son. The Slytherin's eyes were locked on the Headmaster's Office, waiting to see when it would be empty. They stood down the hall, silently watching Professor Thornwood's dot leave the office. Alice pointed and together they moved to the office entrance. Once her dot on the map was far enough away, she moved to stand in front of the stone gargoyle.

"Candy Quills" Alice pronounced, having learned the password from one of their visits to the office. The stone moved aside and the two of them headed up the stairs under the safety of the cloak. Once they were inside Alice removed the cloak, looking around at the sleeping and almost asleep portraits around the room. She motioned with her hand for James to keep an eye on the map and strode across the carpet to Snape's portrait. The man within was just dozing off, leaning on the frame of his portrait in a vain attempt at comfortable sleep.

Alice watched him for a second before reaching up, giving the side of the frame a light rap with her knuckles. Snape jarred awake, glaring down at his disturber before giving a small sigh and leaning against his frame once more once he saw it was Alice.

"Oh, it's you." He mused, sitting upright as he smoothed out his shirt. "What are you doing up here past school hours?"

"Professor Snape, it's about my friend Raven. Something's going on and no one will tell us. Have you heard anything?" Alice asked as she stared up at him. Snape, rose an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"What is told in this office is between the Headmistress and her guests, Miss Carinana. You know that." He closed his eyes half way as he spoke, giving a look of annoyance to him.

"As her best friend I believe I have the right to know what is wrong with her. She doesn't even know, it's like she's a lamb being led to a slaughter!" Alice grit her teeth as she spoke, her hands tightening into fists. Just as Snape was going to say something James took the cloak, enveloping her in it and pulling her back against the wall. The door to the office opened, Thornwood making quick strides to the Headmaster's desk. She swiped a parchment off of it before stopping looking around the room like she was missing something else but couldn't quite place her finger on it. Her eyes trailed to Snape's portrait as he stood within it wide awake.

"Something wrong Severus?" She asked, the man in the portrait shrugging as he leaned back.

"Your entrance into the room was rather disturbing. One cannot sleep with this racket going on." He yawned, placing a hand over his mouth.

"Right, I'm sorry. See you in the morning." She bowed her head slightly and moved out the door, shutting it behind her. Alice released her breath once it was safe, James pulling the cloak down once it was free to move about the room again.

"You didn't give us away..." She looked up at the portrait of Snape, he looking back at her with that look of disinterest he always seemed to have.

"Her meetings are very private, normally we are forced to leave the room when she speaks of it. I do not know much, but I do know your friend seems to have some sort of … gift. That is all I can give you." He sat back after he spoke. The girl talked to him all the time of potions and how to perfect them when she was in the office. He liked her, and whatever information he gave wasn't a lot to give anyway.

"That's all I need to hear, thank you Professor." Alice bowed before him, getting a small smile from the man in return before she pulled herself back under the cloak. The two children vanished, all that Snape could see was the opening and closing of the door as they left.

Raven had some kind of special gift? Alice wished she had gotten more information from him, but that little clue was as good as any. What kind of gift was it? Something nature related? That would explain the soil she worked with. It was her power, not the dirt. While James guided them back Alice could use her brain to come up with some sort of talent that Raven had. What she didn't understand though was why Raven didn't know her own gift and why they were trying to keep it a secret from her.


	13. Mysteries and Memories

**Author's Note:** Sorry if this one seems a little short. I was going to continue it but I want what I was preparing for the next chapter. I borrowed a couple of lines from the book for authenticity of the scene I was writing, so those two lines of speech belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.**  
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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

**Mysteries and Memories**

Oliver's eyes watched out the window as large flakes of snow fell from the sky. He sat within the Library, open before him was a book on a subject he really wasn't concentrated on. His focus was on the changing weather, watching the snowflakes trickle downward. His chin rested on his hand as he stared, then he closed his eyes as his mind drifted elsewhere. Many students were gathered around the windows, watching the first snow of the year.

Light conversations floated in the air of the large room, keeping a maintained level of quiet. Walking through the towering shelves of books, Alice held a stack in her arms, moving to the table where Oliver sat daydreaming. She set the books down with a thump, causing the boy to flinch and lift his head from his hand. He tried to cover for his lack of concentration on the subject before hand, leaning over the book he was supposed to be reading and flipping the pages wildly. Alice rolled her eyes at him and gave him a swat to the back of his head with a paperback book.

Silently she moved to the other side of the table where he sat, pulling a book off the top of the stack and placing it in front of her. _Wizard Families of the Early 18__th__ Century_ was the reading material she had chosen, Alice flipping open the dusty record book and starting to examine it's pages. Oliver watched her extreme thirst for knowledge, his eyes then traveled back to the window to watch the snow once again. The girl across from him cleared her throat in annoyance.

"Oliver, I need your help, come on." Alice frowned, setting her book down. His head turned to look at her once more.

"Why? So what if Raven has some sort of special gift with plants? Is it really so bad?" He sighed and reluctantly returned to his book of _History's Herbologists_.

"It's something more then that! Now keep looking for something related to making plants grow from your hand. I'll try tracing her family line."

"I don't know this kinda seems like invading her privacy..."

"If it was invading privacy then these books wouldn't be here." Alice bolstered her words, flipping a page in her book. Oliver groaned and began researching once more like he was told to do in the first place. The two spent hours trying every possible combination of research they could think of. They couldn't seem to get a lead on anything. Alice closed her eyes and slammed the book shut in front of her.

Oliver closed his book and pushed it aside like a meal he didn't intend to finish. All of the books they had gone over said nothing about magically growing plants from your hands and all Alice could find was that Raven came from a prestigious line of pure-blooded witches and wizards. That family line only stopped recently when her father ran off with a Muggle woman and had a family.

"Look here, this is interesting." Alice pointed into the newer volume of the book, the _19__th__ Century_ edition. Oliver leaned over the table to see what his friend was talking about. The book claimed that Raven's family line was filled with arranged marriages to keep the blood line pure, but her father had fallen in love with a Muggle when he left school after the Second Wizarding War. Now that the world was free of oppression when it came to blood status, Muggle family members weren't so uncommon. He was arranged to marry a pure-blood witch but instead ran off with the Muggle he loved and gave up a life of magic just to be with her.

Alice suddenly wasn't worried about what the meaning of Raven's gift was as she read over the book's pages. Was it such a wonder that a man would give up everything for someone he loved? It was preposterous, she was only a Muggle after all, why would he do that just for her? Oliver slid the book from her and flipped through the pages, pointing to a spot where Alice's line was. Of course hers was full of pure-blood heritage.

These books recorded and told the history of nearly every family line. Oliver was Muggle born, but even his family was in it. Alice flipped through the book more before stopping at a section towards the back of it. She tilted her head as she read the name over in her head, then looked at Oliver who was confused a little as well.

"Carmine?" Alice asked.

"Look, Professor Thornwood is from that line." Oliver pointed out. The two looked into the book before it suddenly shut with a loud slam. Startled, the two children flew back in their chairs before looking towards the Headmistress as she glared at them from the end of their table.

"Where did you get that book? It's supposed to be in the restricted section." She demanded, swiping the book up before either of them could think to take it back.

"It was up on the shelf!" Alice blurted out. Thornwood looked her over before beginning to head off.

"It is our mistake it was out here then, I will make sure it is placed back in the restricted section." And with that she was gone. Alice frowned at where her book once was, feeling at the empty space like it should still be there.

"Why would a book on family lines be in the restricted section?" Oliver watched the professor walk away before returning his eyes to where Alice mindlessly grabbed at the air.

"And more importantly, why was she so upset? It's just a family history book." He sighed, shutting the other book they had been looking through.

"I think it was more then just a family history book. It gave us up to date information on every family line." Alice looked to her friend as he closed the book. "Plus she showed up when we got to her family line, I think she's hiding something more then just Raven's secret."

"Really?" Oliver frowned, stacking the book up.

"I think so. I wonder what it could be though, some kind of family secret she's hidden away for years? Oh I wish she didn't catch us before we got to read more." Alice grumbled, lightly pounding her fist onto the table. Suddenly her head lifted up and her eyes widened.

"Oh wait I know! James can-"

"Nope." James' voice carried across from the other side of the room. He walking past their table with a couple books under his arms. Alice flinched at the denial and turned herself to get up out of her chair to intercept him. He stopped as she stood in front of him.

"Come on, you owe me favors for helping with your homework." Alice stared at him, placing her hands on her hips. James stared at her before shaking his head. For once he had a sense for not breaking the rules.

"The restricted section is just that, restricted. Ever since my dad got in there they upped the security on it."

"But your cloak!"

"I'm sorry Alice, but I don't think it's a good idea. Besides you have your dad roaming the halls now." James set his books down on the table, Oliver giving a small glance to them before looking back out the window at the snow.

"Wait, my dad is at school?" Alice frowned, glancing to the exit to the library.

"Yeah, haven't you noticed him standing around the halls? He says he's here for official Ministry business." The Gryffindor boy leaned back onto the table, placing his hands into his pockets. Alice grit her teeth, her hands going into fists. Now her own family was keeping secrets from her? She was fed up with all these secrets of the school. She understood that some secrets were meant to be kept in this school, but she had gathered enough evidence to not let this go.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything Alice stormed from the Library. Oliver turned his head just in time to see her leave and quickly stood to follow her. James however held his hand out, stopping him from going any farther. He was sure she was going to track down her father and that would be something she didn't need an audience for.

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><p>From the castle led a trail of footprints towards the lake. They stopped at the large stone monument of Albus Dumbledore, staring up at it was Raven, in her hand was a few flowers from the greenhouses she had grown on her own. She was one of the few who came to visit his grave even when he could be seen in the Headmaster's Office. She followed the traditions of Muggles that she was taught, and gently placed the arrangement of flowers against the stone. Once she had done so she stepped back a couple feet and looked it over.<p>

She didn't feel silly coming out here to do this almost every week. Littered among the gravestone was various flowers she had been bringing before. The snow was covering the lot of them now, making the scene look more depressing then it already was. Raven didn't know this man in life, and yet she felt drawn to this spot every week. She would sit in front of the grave and talk to it, not caring if them man within could hear her or not.

Today she sat herself down in the snow, staring up at the large stone block that covered the grave. She set the bundle of roses down against it and let out a sigh of contentment. She began to talk about her days, how she was struggling with some classes and others she was really good at. She told the man about the amazing soil that grew the flowers she gave for him, and how she enjoyed working with it. She spoke of the upcoming break and how she couldn't wait to spend Christmas with her family.

Once her conversation was over she stood up, dusting the gathered snow off of her robes. She kept a smile to her face, heading to the castle by following the footpath she had already made on her way down. From one of the open arches of the hallways Xyronis watched the young girl draw closer to the school. She was a curious girl, always visiting that grave to talk to it when she could easily talk to the man from within the headmaster's office. Like he was told to do he kept watch on her from a distance though he didn't understand why exactly.

He was told in detail what was going on, but it was still something a little too great to wrap his mind around. Whatever Thornwood said wasn't that farfetched, every person she informed of the situation she seemed so sure and confident. However the information he was given was to be kept to himself, she was strict on this rule, only those who were directly involved were to know. The girl was to remain uninformed until she either figured it out on her own or the time was right. When would be the right time though? He wondered if the right time would make it much too late.

But if it was too late, there was no way she wouldn't figure it out before hand. Xyronis pondered the answer to these questions, getting so lost in his own conversations that he failed to notice the presence of his daughter standing on the other side of him. His eyes only traveled down slowly to her out of thought, and he jumped at the sudden realization that she was there.

"A-Alice!" He yelped out, nearly falling out of the archway. "Goodness girl! Don't scare your father like that!"

Alice simply glared at him from under her bangs, a look that to anyone else would probably send chills down their spine, but to her father it was a look that said she wanted answers. Xyronis frowned, nervously waving his hands in front of him defensively.

"Now now, I can explain." He began.

"Oh, please do father. I can't seem to figure out what's going on around here and I think you know." His daughter stood there, crossing her arms over her chest. By no means was this man intimidated by his own daughter, but he was a family man down in his heart and the worst feeling in the world to him was the disappointment his daughter would hold over something.

"Er, well..." He began once again, his eyes glancing as he saw Raven was safely in the school, then taking her hand, Xyronis led his daughter off to a more private place to talk rather then out in the open halls. The two moved to the empty Great Hall, they sitting down at the empty Slytherin table. Xyronis looked at the point hourglasses, Gryffindor was neck and neck with Ravenclaw, followed by Hufflepuff and Slytherin in last place.

"Slytherin's not doing so well this year huh?" He asked Alice who only glared at him. He then shook his head and placed his hands on the table. "Alright Alice. I will tell you what's going on, but you mustn't tell your friend or my job will be threatened."

"You have my word Father." Alice nodded and her father sighed before he spoke.

"Headmistress Thornwood has it set in her mind that something is going to take place very soon and Raven is the first piece of the puzzle. She believes she has a very important gift and there are people out there that know this and are going to try and take it from her at whatever cost. It's my job now to keep watch over Raven while she remains outside the school, like she was now. Thornwood says right now Hogwarts is the safest place for her and I certainly agree. However you cannot tell her about this at all, Raven must figure out her purpose on her own first."

"Wait … Something's going to happen? Like what?"

"I don't know, no one really knows." Xyronis lowered his head, then looked to his daughter as he smiled at her. "You're always looking out for other people, perhaps you can extend that to her as well."

"I always do Father." Alice gave him a warm smile in return. Now that she knew what was going on, she seemed to be in a much better mood. "One more thing, do you know anything about a Carmine family line?"

"That I do not know." Her father shook his head then stood as he looked over the hall. It was hard to imagine nineteen years ago this place was a war zone.

_Nineteen years ago..._

Everyone stood frozen in fear as the voice of the Dark Lord rung through the castle. He called for Harry Potter, giving them the deadline of midnight to hand him over or a war would begin. Xyronis stood among the many frightened students, some of them screaming and huddling in a corner while others looked around for the source of the voice. Once the message was given the hall became silent once more. Harry stood within the middle of the houses, looking almost as shocked as everyone else.

"But he's right there! Potter's _there_! Someone grab him!" Pansy Parkinson screamed out, pointing at Harry from among the Slytherins. No one moved at first but then groups from the other houses started to close in around the boy. However none of them made a grab for him, instead they stood in front of him, blocking him from being captured.

"We're with you all the way Harry." One student from Hufflepuff said.

"You want him, you're going to have to go through us!" A boy from Ravenclaw yelled out. The portion of Slytherin stared as the other students stood in the way, Xyronis turned to look to Professor McGonagall as she spoke.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson, you will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow." The older woman directed them with her finger by pointing to the door. The only sound in the hall was the screeching of benches and tables being pushed away as the Slytherin students began to move out with them. The younger Xyronis moved with his house as they were ushered out into the halls. He was in his last year, he was old enough to fight. And yet he was being labeled because of the House he was in.

As they walked through the hall he felt a soft hand take hold of his. He glanced over, seeing a smaller girl with long black hair. Seraphina latched onto his hand. She was the love of his life, he had already told her that as soon as they graduated from Hogwarts he wanted to marry her. He looked into her eyes, they crying out for justice. This wasn't just Harry's school, it was their school as well.

Silently he slipped out of the group of Slytherins with her, pulling her by the hand as they moved back towards the Hall. Seraphina knew where they were going, and kept pace with him to keep up. The two came into the hall after hearing Kingsley barking commands to those that remained behind. McGonagall was motioning for Harry to go, and once the boy left Xyronis marched up to the Professor just as she turned on her heels to attend to something else.

"Mr. Carinana, you're supposed to be with the other Slytherin students!" She spoke in a stern voice, however he didn't back down.

"We're not leaving Professor. This is our school as well and we are both old enough to fight." Xyronis spoke as he motioned over to Seraphina. The professor studied the two students a moment before offering a sigh and nodding her head.

"Alright. I suppose I shouldn't have jumbled you into the bunch. We have half an hour until the deadline, go over there and receive your instructions!" McGonagall shooed them to where the other lot of students were congested. Xyronis took Sera's hand and the both of them moved to be with the army.


	14. Through Their Eyes

**Author's Note/Disclaimer:** Exactly as it says, half of the dialogue is from the book, and completely is owned by J.K Rowling. Only the dialogue was used, not the actions, and the words and actions that my own characters say and maybe two things said by other characters are mine**.** With that being said, I wanted to go again for authenticity. I tried to keep it to things that the characters could see or hear, for example, if Harry was there, they would see him and know what was going on, if he wasn't there, no one would know what he was doing. Like I said things were taken from the book so **if you have not read the book and do not want to be spoiled, I suggest you skip this chapter.  
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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

**Through Their Eyes**

Young Xyronis stood with his girlfriend as they looked up to the sky. The translucent dome over their heads spreading farther over the school while on either side of them the stone statues marched on to protect the school. The Slytherin boy looked over at his partner, holding her hand tightly as they waited for the inevitable hour of midnight to arrive.

"You alright?" He asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm fine." She responded, looking up at him with a warm smile. In either hand they held their wands ready for the fight to begin. Xyronis didn't know what was soon to come, but he knew they might not make it out alive. If this were the case, he would want to be by her side in their last moments together. Seraphina closed her eyes as is meditating, carefully thinking of what they would soon have to do. Xyronis joined her, closing his eyes and concentrating on the battle ahead.

The minutes passed and the clock struck midnight. Nothing happened at first, the students and staff gathered in the courtyard, bracing for the impact of the battle. Then the sky lit up like stars were falling from the sky. White lights slammed into the barrier over the school, causing it to weaken in some places. Xyronis grit his teeth as he stared up, watching as holes started to form in their defenses. This was it, there would be no turning back now.

They could hear the sounds of the approaching army of Giants and Death Eaters, and a blinding light took over the skies. The translucent barrier began to fall apart like it was as flammable as paper. Soon wisps of black smoke soared through the air, landing within the courtyard and spells shot everywhere. Seraphina screamed as she ducked, pulling Xyronis down with her as a curse flew over their heads. As quickly as the barrier fell the Death Eaters were upon them.

Xyronis took little time to think his actions through has he began throwing spells at the Death Eaters that landed in the courtyard. Seraphina did as well, pulling her partner to duck here and there when spells got too close. The two ran over the stones, shooting spells that lit up the night like fireworks. The castle trembled from the attacks, fires took over parts of the old building. All around them people were falling to the ground, friend and foe alike.

Seraphina pulled him behind a crumbling pillar, only going around it to shoot spells at the opposing people. The ground shook as giants began to pour into the battle. They swung their weapons wildly, wiping out anyone and anything in the path, throwing the stone statues off to the side like they were nothing. Some didn't make it past the gate, falling off the side of the bridge into the lake below along with the pieces of statues that were torn apart. The giants and forces of Death Eaters were becoming too much, and they could hear yells for retreat.

"Back into the school! Retreat!" Professor McGonagall called out, shooting a spell to knock a Death Eater off their feet. The students and faculty poured into the open door and both Xyronis and his future wife made a dash for the doors. Once everyone was inside that they could get the doors closed. This small respite wouldn't last for long however, the sounds of the castle shuddering under the pressure of battle caused a lot of the students to doubt their reasons for being here.

"Get the wounded into the Hall at once!" Over shrieks of fear the professor called out, the door busted open, Death Eaters poured from the windows like water. Xyronis took Seraphina's hand and ran quickly with her the other way. Shooting spells over their shoulders they ran through the open halls, as they ran they didn't notice the freezing of the area around them. Stones and rubble frosted over as Dementors approached, cutting the two off from their destination. Xyronis would not let go of her hand no matter what, but Seraphina's dainty hand slipped from his as a Dementor hovered over her, sucking the happiness, the light of her life out of her.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Shouting at the top of his lungs Xyronis thrust his wand forward, the tip of it bursting into light before a great dragon of white flew through the smoky air. With each beat of it's wings a ring of white light would radiate out from it, pushing the Dementors back and away from her. The large dragon of light gave chase after the last creature and with that Xyronis fell to Seraphina's side, lifting her up against him.

"Sera! Are you alright?" Panic rung in his voice as he held her close. She shook with fear and depression, causing him to hold her tighter and close his eyes. "Come on, I'm here, think happy thoughts..."

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><p>In the same moment within the battle a young Ravenclaw man fought valiantly against a Death Eater. The two flung spell after spell at one another, green light shooting from the older man's wand while stun and knock-back spells flew from the blond haired man's own. He peered around the corner through his glasses, his jaw set as he grit his teeth. His eyes widened as he whipped back around, the death curse just missing him by moments and striking the stone pillar he hid behind. He listened as he heard the footsteps of the Death Eater start to rush towards him in a final attempt to end this.<p>

The Ravenclaw took in a deep breath and slid around the pillar, flicking his wand and disarming the man. In the confusion the younger man quickly stunned the older one letting him fall to the ground for someone else to deal with later while he ran ahead, trying to make it to everyone else. Along the way he would help other students, sending stunning spells at their opponents to give them more time to act. He could still remember the words he said in defiance to the Slytherin House. _You want him, you're going to have to go through us!_ The words swarmed in his head and built his courage. No matter what kind of person he was up against, he would only use defensive spells.

The young man ran through the halls, trying to help everyone he could in their battles. As he rushed to help a Hufflepuff struggling with another Death Eater, he shot a spell, the Death Eater's spell ricocheting off the wall and smashing the window above. Glass rained down on them as he lifted his arm to shield himself from the falling glass. The girl thanked him before shrieking and pointing behind him. Whipping his head then body around the boy turned to see large spiders climbing into the school through any holes in the walls they could find.

Gritting his teeth he quickly turned and snatched the girl's arm, pulling her along with him as they ran from the heard of arachnids skittering up the hall behind them. The Hufflepuff was hardly moving on her own, legs like bricks as she continually screamed about how much she hated spiders. The Ravenclaw covered his face with his palm before snapping them both around a corner. The herd of spiders skittered past them as he kept the both of them pressed against the wall and held his breath while he kept his hand over the girl's mouth to keep her quiet. Once they had passed he lowered his hand and took in a breath.

"T-Those were huge! Where did they come from?" The girl sputtered out.

"I think the Death Eaters drove them out of the forest." The boy said in return, slowly looking around the corner. The hall was empty now, the sounds of battle outside and in hung in the air like a thick fog. He frowned before turning back to the Hufflepuff and pointing where the hall led farther down. "Start heading to the Great Hall. You'll be safer there."

The girl nodded and pushed off the wall and rushed down the hall. After examining the area more he soon took off after her. This whole thing was a mess. Glass and rock crunched and crumbled under his feet as he ran. He had to find places to hide along the way to avoid more conflicts with the Death Eaters.

Hours into the fight passed and soon one again the area rang with the Dark Lord's voice. His army pulled back, he told everyone to gather their dead and wounded. Enough pure blood had been shed and wasted. If Harry was not given to him soon then Lord Voldemort would enter the battle himself and none would be spared. He would wait in the Forbidden Forest for one hour. The young Ravenclaw man looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, frowning at the illusion spell that hung above but showed a dark lonesome shadow above.

He began to walk the hall while avoiding the emeralds that had spilled on the floor, somehow the hourglass that kept track of points for the Slytherin house was shattered and it's contents were belched onto the floor. Looking around him, several students were gathered around friends and family remains. The Weasley family were hovered over the body of Fred, Ginny grieving in the arms of her brothers and Hermoine. Near them, the bodies of Remus Lupin and his wife Tonks laid on the floor, their hands just inches from each other in death. Death hung stale in the air, the feeling it brought was not help for the upcoming next battle.

"David!" A female Ravenclaw rushed up to him, her head wrapped and the bandage she had on was already stained with blood. It was a lot worse then the glass cut he had suffered from shielding his face.

"Rachel! What on earth happened?" David frowned as he helped her remain steady.

"Oh, you know, got hit with a spell and whacked my head on the wall. It's not a big deal." The girl smiled, acting like she wasn't even hurt at all. He shook his head, leading her to an empty spot on the floor and making her sit.

"You need to be more careful, this isn't a fun duel. These people are shooting to kill." David sat down next to her, looking over the hall in a solemn mood. He already knew what he was going to do if he made it out of this war alive. He could see her now, the red headed girl who worked at that small cafe near where he lived.

He had been infatuated with her ever since he had first visited that cafe. The only problem was that she was a Muggle, and he was already set to marry someone else. Someone else, he didn't love. He wouldn't go into a marriage that didn't require love just to satisfy his parents need for pure-blood status. No, he was going to marry that girl at the cafe, even if he had to give up everything he learned, give up his life of magic. David Taylor was going to marry Renee Fisher, even if it brought the pure-blood line to an end.

Everyone was waiting for the second half of the battle to begin. Those able to fight were already putting up more defenses. David gave Rachel a pat on her back and stood, wiping the sweat of battle from his brow. He joined his fellow students in setting up more defensive preparations.

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><p>Xyronis led Seraphina into the hall, a bar of chocolate in her hands as she recovered from the Dementor attack. The two had to battle their way back to the Great Hall, once they arrived they heard the voice of Voldemort booming in their heads. A break in the relentless attacks, dispose of your dead with dignity and another chance to hand Harry over before the Dark Lord took it into his own hands. Xyronis sighed as they passed the many dead and injured, he wasn't scathe free either. Blood had dripped from his arm under his robes from a spell that he had took for Seraphina.<p>

They sat on the floor while students began to prepare defenses for the second attack. Among the students Harry was no where to be seen, no one knew where he had gone. Xyronis kept an arm around Seraphina while they waited. Once she was better they would help with the defenses. Once she agreed she was able to function normally they began to help others. It was only after a while did everyone realize that second attack wasn't showing.

Everyone began to question when the second wave was going to start. They were apprehensive, on edge. No one knew what was going on. Their questions were finally answered when they heard Voldemort's voice ring through the hall.

"Harry Potter is dead." He cried out, voice amplified from where ever he was. "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

Students and teachers piled out of the castle to see if the Dark Lord's words were true. There stood Voldemort, his army of Death Eaters behind him and next to him Hagrid stood, the limp body of Harry cradled in his arms.

"No, it can't be..." Xyronis simply stared in disbelief. It couldn't be, not Harry, not the only thing that stood between them and a free world.

"HARRY!" Ginny's voice screamed out along with Ron and Hermione's. Just in an instant, their world was plunged into darkness. Somewhere within the crowd, the Ravenclaw boy growled under his breath, fist tightening around his wand.

"Dammit!" He muttered, eyes glaring from behind his glasses. Behind the Dark Lord the army of Death Eaters laughed at the reactions of the school. However the reactions of Harry's closest friends caused a chain reaction as members of the crowd began shouting curses and foul language at the army of Death Eaters behind Voldemort.

"SILENCE!" The Dark Lord's voice boomed and then there was a sound of a crack accompanied by a bright light. Xyronis suddenly found himself mute while among the crowd David ground his teeth now that he could no longer express his disgust. The Dark Lord muttered something to Hagrid and slowly he lowered the boy to the grass at his feet.

"You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!" The man hissed out. Expecting silence, Voldemort was surprised when Ron seemed to break from the spell and shouted at him. With the break of the spell the rest of the defenders joined in, once more barking abuse and screaming in distaste. David was eager to once again shout words of profanity, but his words were cut short and another bang and flash of light silenced them again.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds, killed while trying to save himself-" Voldemort began to speak his lies once more, but was cut off when someone ran from the crowd of students at him. There was another bang and another flash of light, then the body of the boy hit the ground, disarmed. Voldemort held the boy's wand and then flicked it aside with a laugh.

"And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight while the battle is lost?" The pale face man sneered as he spoke, causing David to grind his teeth more in irritation and caused Xyronis to hold Seraphina closer to him.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?" Bellatrix laughed out as she explained the boy to her lord and master.

"Ah, yes, I remember. But you are pure-blood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort smirked down at Neville as he struggled to a stand in the space between The Dark Lord and the crowd of students. David wanted to do something, anything he could to help. However he continued to convince himself otherwise. If he hadn't died yet, there was no need for him to now, at least until he defied Voldemort himself.

"So what if I am?" Neville's voice carried over the silent air as he spoke loudly.

"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" Neville shouted. There was a cheer from the crowd behind him, Voldemort's silencing charms no longer seemed to hold on them, and David took great advantage of this.

"That's right! DA ALL THE WAY!" The Ravenclaw shouted, and his own bolster of courage rang through the crowd as they cheered more.

"Very well, if that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head, be it." Voldemort's voice seemed to hold a more sinister tone now. The crowd seemed to grow quiet once more as everyone sensed that tension in the air. Voldemort waved his wand and something flew from one of the castle windows. Xyronis looked up at the sky, seeing the dilapidated object soar before landing in the white hand of the Dark Lord. He shook the object, holding it in the air for all to see, it was the Sorting Hat.

"There will be no more sorting at Hogwarts School. There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?" With only a small look to the crowd Voldemort spoke, then looked to Neville. Suddenly both Xyronis and Seraphina felt sick. They despised that the house they were sorted in was even related to this horrid man. The two had once felt pride in their House, but now, under the new rules that Voldemort was setting for them, they felt nothing.

While the two remaining Slytherin in the group grimaced at the pride Voldemort held for their house, David watched as the pale man flicked his wand. Neville suddenly stood ridged and stiff, then taking the hat by the rim, Voldemort forced the hat down on the boy's head to the point where he could not see. The crowd started to move, David among the first but everyone settled as the army of Death Eaters rose their wands, stopping anyone who would dare make a move to interrupt.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue opposing me." The Dark Lord spoke and with another flick of his wand, the hat and Neville burst into flames. The boy's screams filled the air, all the crowd could do was watch in horror as he was being burned alive. But then something happened that no one was expecting. In the distance the sound of war cries and the pounding of hooves drew closer. While the sound of the Centaur grew closer, the thundering steps of Grawp shook the ground while he cried for Hagrid.

The roar of Voldemort's giants was the only answer he was given, the beasts running at the smaller giant with rage and made the ground beneath everyone shake. The Centaur were upon the school now as their hooves clopped against the ground and their bows fired at the Death Eaters, scattering them while they tried to avoid being hit. Among the new found chaos Xyronis manage to drag Seraphina away from the feet of the giants and the stampede of hooves. The two were being forced back into the school by the crowd trying to avoid being caught in the battle and into the Great Hall. While everyone was fleeing, David tried to push his way through the crowd to help Neville. He wasn't the only one he assumed.

However Neville didn't need the aid of anyone. He broke free of the body bind curse and threw the flaming hat off his head. As the flames died from the hat David watched as he pulled something from the depths, the ruby encrusted hilt of a sword. He could only stand and watch as Neville swung the Sword of Gryffindor, the single stroke slicing off the head of Nagini. Voldemort's scream of rage could not be heard over the sound of the battle ensuing once again, but David could see the look on his face before he was forced back into he school by the crowd.

Above them was the sight of Buckbeak leading the charge of Thestrals to attack the giants. Witches, Wizards, Death Eaters alike were shooting spells while they were forced back into the castle. The battles didn't end even as they entered the Great Hall. Friends, family, every defender of Hogwarts was rejoined in the fight. Even the shopkeepers and citizens of Hogsmead were coming in as reinforcement. The doors to the kitchens burst open and out poured the House Elves, makeshift weapons including kitchen knives and forks were held in their hands.

They would stab at the legs of the Death Eaters, and everywhere around them the once overpopulated number of them was being diminished by the fighters that had shown up. David flung spells at crippled Death Eaters while in the other corner of the room, Xyronis and Seraphina gave their all, their wands swinging in the air at the opposing witches and wizards. Somewhere in the corner of the room they could hear Mrs. Weasley scream at Bellatrix, then within moments Voldemort's own scream. Everything was happening so fast, David almost missed the unveiling of someone as the middle of the hall cleared.

"It's Harry!"

"HE'S ALIVE!" The cries of excitement rose in the room as Harry appeared out of nowhere. Xyronis and Seraphina's eyes lit up at the sight of their hope in the dark, and David cheered, raising his hand in the air while he laughed with excitement. But these cries of excitement were soon silenced as everyone realized what was to happen next. Harry and Voldemort began to circle each other like two dogs about to attack.

Harry spoke loudly in order for everyone in the room to hear him. "I don't want anyone else to try to help, it's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

"Potter doesn't mean that, that isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?" Voldemort hissed out. Harry's eyes remained locked with his as they continued to circle, and the anger that boiled in David's eyes followed their every movement.

"Nobody," Harry said flatly. "There is no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."

"One of us?" The pale man snickered at Harry's confidence, causing Xyronis to glare coldly. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me? Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

"_Accidents!" _Voldemort yelled out. The whole crowd, everyone in the room remained still, almost not even breathing, but everyone took in every word Harry and Voldemort exchanged like they were piecing together the life of the Boy Who Lived. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight, you won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people—"

"But you did not!"

"- I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding?" As Harry spoke some people looked down at themselves, David pressed his hand to his chest as if trying to feel for the spell and Harry was right, none of the silencing spells had worked. "You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

"_You dare-"_

"Yes, I dare," Harry went on. "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Xyronis watched with wide eyes as Voldemort continued to circle with Harry, looking mesmerized and irritated with the fact that he might know something bigger about him.

"Is it love again? Dumbledore's favorite solution, _love_, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him from falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork?_ Love_, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter – and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?" His snake face glaring, Voldemort continued to mock Harry while they continued their dance of death.

"Just one thing." Harry spoke plainly, like he wasn't even phased.

"If it's not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both." Harry said, watching as a small amount of shock spread over the pale man's face. It was gone in a flash though and Voldemort began to laugh, sounding insane as it bellowed across the space of the silent Hall.

"You think _you _know more magic then I do?" He hissed out, trying to speak through his radical laughter. "Than _I_, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh he dreamed of it, but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" Voldemort screamed out. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you, a better wizard, a better man." Harry retorted while they still walked in their circle.

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did, but you were wrong." At once the crowd around them gasped out. Xyronis and Seraphina looked intoxicated with the information they were hearing and David couldn't help but to let his mouth hang agape a little.

"_Dumbledore is dead!"_ The words spilled from Voldemort's mouth like venom he expected to cause pain. "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead, but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant." Harry spoke calmly, his words raising curiosity within the crowd.

"What childish dream is this?" Voldemort questioned, their eyes never once unlocking.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours, Snape was Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?" Harry spoke loud and clear as they still circled. Voldemort said nothing.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe, the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized, he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?" While Harry relayed this information the crowd looked around at each other a few moments. One of the most people effected was Xyronis, who's chest swelled with pride at these words. He had always known that Severus wasn't the cold heart being as everyone saw him. Xyronis could sense the good in people, and he knew it was there.

"He desired her, that was all," Voldemort glared while he spoke. "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other woman, and of purer blood, worthier of him-"

"Of course he told you that, but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since. Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"

"It matters not!" Voldemort bellowed. "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great _love_! Oh, but it all makes sense Potter, and in ways that you do not understand!

"Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy – I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

"Yeah it did," Harry began. "You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse Riddle..."

"What is this?"

"It's your one last chance, it's all you've got left... I've seen what you'll be otherwise … be a man … try … try for some remorse..."

"You dare-?" Voldemort started to say again and was cut off by the annoyed tone of Harry's voice.

"Yes, I dare, because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle."

David watched closer now that he could see the wand shake in Voldemort's hand, and the grip on the wand Harry had tightened. He, along with much of everyone else in the room could feel that the conclusion of this argument was soon to be upon them.

"That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore!_ Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort cackled. "I stole the wand from it's last master's tomb! I removed it against it's last master's wishes! It's power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard._... The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him it's allegiance...

The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Confusion ran through the ranks of the crowd and shock once again flickered on Voldemort's face. However it quickly vanished.

"But what does it matter?" His voice volume turned low. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand. We duel on skill alone … and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..."

"But you're too late, you've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him." As he spoke, Harry moved the Hawthorn wand that once belong to Draco Malfoy. Everyone's eyes fell upon it, some staring wide eyed in disbelief of what they were hearing. Could what Harry was saying be true? Was he really the master of the Elder Wand?

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Does the wand in your hand know its last master was disarmed? Because if it does … I am the true master of the Elder Wand." Harry's voice was barely audible, but David was standing near enough to hear his words. As soon as the words were finished, light from a rising sun burst through a window. Everything seemed to happen so fast as the crowd backed away. Two shouts were heard over the air before a loud bang filled the hall and caused everyone to cry out in surprise.

Golden flames erupted in the middle where the two spells met. As soon as the fight started it had ended, disarmed, the Elder Wand spun up into the air, flipping around and flying in the direction towards its true master. Xyronis watched as Harry caught it with the skill he was known for, and it was like slow motion as everyone's gaze turned to the Dark Lord. Although, he was the Dark Lord no more. The body of the man fell to the floor with a loud thud, hands empty just like the expression on his face.

As Harry stood there, staring down at the vacant, snake like face, it was then that everyone realized that Voldemort was dead, killed by his own curse that was rebounded. The Hall erupted in screams and cheers as everyone began to close in around him, trying to grab him, hug some part of him, everyone trying to get their chance to touch the boy Who Lived, the reason this was all finally over.

Among the cheers and yells of excitement, Xyronis laughed while Seraphina jumped up and down, holding onto his arms while they moved. She caught him off guard once they stopped, her hands cupping his cheeks and her lips pressed against his in a kiss. Eyes wide at the sudden surprise, they quickly closed as he returned the kiss, his arms going tight around her.

David was up with the crowd, cheering loudly, hanging off people while they smothered Harry in deserved affection. Rachel hung off him as well, screaming in delight even if her head was pounding still from her injury. Finally everything was over. This war was over. People were crying out of sadness, happiness even hours after the battle.

* * *

><p>As soon as David had the chance, he took for home. He stood in front of the small Muggle cafe, through the window he could see her, standing at the edge of a table while she served someone some coffee. Slowly he took a deep breath, feeling the tip of his wand in his coat pocket with his finger before removing his hand from it for the last time. David pushed the door open with his shoulder, pushing his glasses up to his face when she turned around and saw him.<p>

"David! You're home from school! What happened to you? You look like you've been through a war!" Renee exclaimed and ran up to him, throwing her arms about his shoulders. Oh if she only knew. He smiled down at her, kissing her forehead before pulling away. He didn't answer her, but smiled when her eyes went wide as he lowered himself down onto one knee.

"Renee, marry me?" He asked her, holding up the ring he had been saving for for months. She would never know it was made by magic, but that was the secret he would show when he felt the time would be right.

"Yes!" She shrieked with excitement and the whole cafe cheered for them while David smiled, holding his future wife in his arms. This was where he belonged, where he wanted to be, and he had Harry Potter to thank for everything.


	15. Christmas at Hogwarts

**Author's Note: **Sorry I have not updated at frequently as I was. Work was interfering and I was also taking a break to improve my writing. Hope I got some good results. :D**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

**Christmas at Hogwarts**

"A whole two weeks without classes? Sign me up!" James smirked as he walked with his unusual group of friends. At his sides were Raven and Alice, behind him walked Oliver along with his brother and cousin Albus and Rose.

"Just because you're getting a break doesn't mean you have permission to veg out. If you do that you'll forget everything you learned." Alice said, holding in her arms her winter robes.

"I'm not going to forget everything. If I did that I'd still be in my First year!" He groaned as he hung his arms at his sides. Everyone laughed, the excitement of the holiday break fresh in their minds, all except Raven, who's head hung while she walked. Alice glanced over at her, a light frown forming on her face.

"Raven, what's wrong? You've been moping around ever since this morning." She asked.

"I'm not allowed to go home for Christmas." The Ravenclaw sighed. This morning she had been called to the Headmaster's office to have Thornwood inform her that it was unsafe for her to leave at the time. She wouldn't tell her why. Alice however knew the reason thanks to her father, but dare not speak of it.

"Really? I wonder why." She lied. Raven shrugged her shoulders before James put his arm around her neck.

"It won't be so bad, you get to do whatever you want and on Christmas they have a feast for all the students and staff that are there." He motioned with his talking with his other hand and slowly, very slowly, Alice plucked him by his finger and pulled his arm off of Raven.

"Plus I'll be here. Both my mother and father are here already so I don't really have a place to go to." The Slytherin mentioned, smiling to Raven as she moved to walk on her right.

"If you want I can stay too. I'd normally go to visit my parents over the holiday but it's the same thing every year. I'd like to see what this school's like on Christmas!" said Oliver.

"It's really nice and all, but it means a little more to me than just a holiday. My birthday is this month and every year my family and I celebrate it." Raven sighed, hanging her head.

Alice frowned a little before tugging on Oliver's arm and pulling him over to her, whispering into his ear. The conversation was short between the two students, the young boy nodding his head to the Slytherin once he pulled his head upright. Above them they could hear the school bell ring out, signaling the beginning of afternoon classes. The group broke up as they were off to their classrooms. Oliver however remained with Raven while they moved to History of Magic class. Hufflepuff was sharing the room with Ravenclaw today.

The two sat down with their houses on the opposite sides of the room. Ready for an hour and a half of boring lectures, Raven pulled out her quill and a piece of parchment. She didn't really take notes, but instead of having the ghost stare at her throughout the lessons, she'd rather have it out to pretend like she cared enough about it. While the ghostly professor began his droning, the Ravenclaw girl's attention was down on the parchment while she scribbled terrible pictures of herself in torment of her having to stay within the school during the winter vacation.

* * *

><p>"We'll be back in a week!" Rose said as she and her cousins were hefting a small collection of their belongings. Raven watched with Oliver and Alice as the Potter-Weasely family was getting ready to leave for the span of their break.<p>

"Have fun you guys." said Raven with a wave. James smirked, giving the group a wave over his shoulder. Albus wasn't far behind, waving at them with his free hand while they joined the group of students heading out to return home. The hall was becoming empty now as everyone was leaving, either going home for the week or just returning to the Great Hall. Alone now, the group of the Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw watched the last student leave.

A great frown was still present on Raven's face, Oliver glancing over at her to look at her expression. His eyes drifted over to Alice, who was already turning around to head to the Great Hall. Placing his hands on Raven's shoulders, he turned her and began to walk her to follow them. As she was being led to the hall, her eyes never moved to look around. She was in a weird state where she was unconscious in her mind, but her body was moving with the help of a little guidance.

"Well, at least you're not going to be alone." said Oliver, hoping his words of wisdom would make Raven feel a little better.

"I guess so." she replied. She finally gained control of her body, walking on her own and causing Oliver to release her shoulders. The three sat down at one of the long tables, Alice next to Raven while the Hufflepuff hopped over the top of the table and moved to sit on the other side. Above them the floating candles were glowing dimly with the magical flame that never died. Some of the professors including Hagrid were placing up decorations that were left over. The half giant was once again in charge of finding the big pine tree to serve as the holiday tree and he did his job well, hefting the bottom trunk over his shoulder while just the tip of the large evergreen dragged on the ground.

Raven glanced over Alice's shoulder to watch, that frown shrinking away and being replaced with a small smile. While her friends were talking the Ravenclaw girl stood from her seat, rushing to Hagrid's side to offer her help.

"Hagrid! Do you need help with that?" asked Raven.

"Hmm? Oh! Nah I dun' need any 'elp with this silleh thing." said Hagrid, patting the bark of the trunk he held over his shoulder. "'owever, ya' can 'elp with the decoratin' though."

"I'd love to." she said, backing away to give the large man room to work with. He swung the large tree from his shoulder, placing it into it's stand with ease. Eyes set on the top of the tree, Raven watched while he moved it left and right while he tried to get it to sit evenly. Alice glanced over her shoulder to watch her Ravenclaw friend talk with the Hagrid. A small smile on her face, she returned her attention to Oliver who sat across from her.

"So what did you find out?" asked Alice.

"Well, her birthday is on the nineteenth, which is tomorrow." answered Oliver. The Slytherin's eye narrowed as she tapped her fingernails on the wooden table top.

"That doesn't give us a lot of time to work with. We need to get her a birthday and Christmas present." she said, Oliver nodding in return.

"You know, we've known her for four months now, but we don't really know what she likes." he said with a frown. "Maybe we can get her something technology related and just enchant it to work?"

Alice shot him a correcting glare. "First of all, that's illegal."

"Only on Muggle items!" Oliver interrupted.

"Second of all, we can't leave school grounds if we're staying here for the week. Only third years and up have permission to go to Hogsmead." she finished, crossing her arms.

"Well, what if we ask one of third years staying here if they can buy something for her there? We can tell them what kind of stuff she'd like."

"That's just it though. We don't really know what she likes other than Muggle technology. There has to be something else."

"Well she seems to really love her family." offered Oliver. Alice took his suggestion, leaning back in her seat to think of possible gift ideas that involved family.

"I got it! Professor Thornwood said Raven couldn't leave school to visit her family, she never said anything about them coming here to visit her!" she proclaimed.

"But her mum is a Muggle, muggles can't see Hogwarts." said Oliver with a frown.

"Nonsense, Muggle parents have been here before. Besides, it's her mother. I don't think they're going to say she can't see her daughter." Alice sighed, setting her hands on the table. "Well that takes care of one gift, that will be the Christmas gift since it might take them a bit to get here."

"We still need a gift by tomorrow." said Oliver. "Oh wait! She really likes Herbology, maybe Professor Longbottom will have a suggestion!"

"Great thinking, Reed." Alice gave him a quick wink before standing up quickly. She wrapped her cloak around her while she rushed, heading for the doors. "I hope he hasn't left the school yet!"

"Ah! Wait up!" Oliver cried out after her, grabbing the yellow and black scarf that hung loosely around his neck and wrapping it around him while he rushed quickly after her. As the two ran out, Raven turned just in time to see them heading out the door. She frowned while she held a string of garland in her arms, rushing to the door way.

"Where are you two going?" she called out after them, arms lowered.

"Um, bathroom!" Oliver said over his shoulder, waving and turning the corner to vanish out of Raven's view behind it.

* * *

><p>Alice was already darting across the snowy grounds of the school in a race to catch Neville before he left for the week. Oliver followed behind her, trying to keep up and move faster by stepping in the footprints she had made in the snow. The Slytherin girl could see the professor up ahead, wrapped up in a winter cloak and getting ready to lock the greenhouses up for the break. She waved her arms up in the air to try and gain his attention, calling him by name. Lifting his head from looking down at the lock, Neville looked up at the sound of his name, seeing Alice running at him full speed while Oliver huffed and puffed behind her footsteps.<p>

"Oh, hello you two. Something I can do?" asked Neville with a smile. Alice came to an abrupt stop, causing Oliver to slam into her back and fall backwards into the snow.

"Professor Longbottom, tomorrow is Raven's birthday and we want to get her something really good! We know she really likes herbology, do you have any suggestions?" she said. Neville looked over her shoulder a little to see Oliver stand, brushing the snow from his cloak.

"Um … well … here let's see what kind of cosmetic plants I have." he said with a smile. Instead of locking up he pushed the door to the greenhouse open. The students followed him in, glancing around at the variety of plants that he had. Neither of them had been into this greenhouse before, this must have been where the higher years were taught. Neville moved to the front of the greenhouse, looking over a few plants in pots.

Removing his gloves, he took a pot with a golden colored plant and dug his hands into the soil. With gentle hands he uprooted the plant and placed it into a smaller pot. Neville patted the dirt around the newly placed plant, making sure it was securely in the dirt. With a smile he then moved to pot onto a wooden plate. He placed a glass dome over top of it.

"Raven grew this plant on her own. It's a rare plant but look how beautiful it has bloomed from seed to flower." Neville smiled, picking up the casing from the bottom and handing it to the two children.

"Professor, this is a Dittany plant..." said Alice, holding it up a little to get a better look. The man nodded, still smiling when she was looking it over.

"Yes it is, it's the same one that Raven raised from a seed. I think it would make a great gift."

"Are you sure it's okay for her to have this? If it's so rare maybe it should stay here..." said Oliver.

"I have absolute confidence that she will be able to take care of it." Neville nodded, gently pushing the plant back into the safety of Alice's arms. "Now, be careful with that. I have to get home to Hannah."

With those words the three left the greenhouse. Locking it up behind him, Neville bid them goodbye for the week and headed up to the castle to gather the remainder of his belongings. Holding the golden plant in her arms, Alice made sure to hold it under her robes to keep it from the cold. She and Oliver made their way back into the school.

"Who's going to keep it till tomorrow?" asked Oliver as they walked.

"I will. I'll wrap it up nice." said Alice with smile, looking down at the glass dome within her robes.

* * *

><p>The next morning was that of depression for Raven. It was her birthday and she was turning twelve, but there was not anything happy about it. Normally she'd be waking up now to the smell of a birthday breakfast. Tobias would be chasing his cat around in the living room, probably trying to give him a piece of the breakfast. Her mother would be setting the table, her father in the kitchen, wrapping her present since he would have forgotten the night before.<p>

Raven slowly sat up in bed, looking around. Most of the beds were empty from the students leaving for the holidays. She had to drag herself out of her own bed, she slunk across the floor to her trunk, pulling out an outfit that wasn't one that belonged to the school. After a morning of slow dressing and brushing of teeth she smoothed out the sweater she wore and moved to the Great Hall for breakfast. A frown remained on her face when she found that the doors to the hall were shut.

Figures, she was probably late for breakfast and got shut out. Another wonderful event to add to this day. Raven thought of simply returning to the dorms without breakfast but her stomach didn't agree with her, it growling in retaliation of the thought. Groaning, she began pushing the doors open. The farther she pushed them open, the more she began to see the scene going on inside. Staring with tired eyes, she watched as Alice was arguing with another Slytherin, the girl shaking her head and backing away while Alice yelled at her about wasting a surprise. Behind her Oliver was holding her back by one arm, trying to keep the potential fight from happening.

Doors already pushed open, Raven stood there, watching the scene unfold. Alice turned herself, shoving Oliver away and pushing him to the ground before going after the other Slytherin girl, the poor female shrieking and running away to the other side of her house table with Alice in hot pursuit. Down on the floor, the Hufflepuff would just lie there, arms flailed out above his head. The remainder of the hall simply looked at Raven with unsure looks while Alice chased the girl around the great hall. When she had reached the back where Raven stood, Alice stopped, letting the girl free once she noticed she was there.

"Oh! Happy birthday Raven!" she yelled, throwing her arms above her head in an attempt to show celebration. She then glanced over to Oliver, quickly walking over to him and shoving him with her foot. "Get up and tell her happy birthday Oliver!"

"Happar birfday..." he groaned as he was forced to sit up. Raven looked between the two, speechless for the moment.

"You … how did you two know it was my birthday? I never told anyone..." she began.

"We had a little help figuring it out." said Alice. She pulled Oliver to a stand in her explanation.

"Oh … well..." started Raven, looking between the two. Suddenly her morning seemed brighter. Much brighter. A smile crept on her face and she rushed to her friends, throwing her arms around them in a hug. Caught by surprise, Alice gave a small blink, then wrapped her arms tightly around her best friend. Oliver on the other hand stood there, body stiff as a board while his face was heating up in a blush. Raven released them, small tears in the corners of her eyes.

"We got you something too, with some help." said Alice, taking her hand and leading her to the Hufflepuff table. There wrapped in odd colored paper was a slightly tall object. Raven looked at it. Was that supposed to be wrapping paper? She couldn't help but laugh at the wrapping job.

"What's so funny?" Oliver asked, but Raven waved him off before sitting down to the present. With careful hands she began unwrapping the present, careful even more so now that she saw the glass dome underneath. When she had it all the way unwrapped she stared in disbelief. The golden plant stood within it's casing, seeming to shimmer in the dim firelight provided by the torches.

"It's my Dittany plant..." said Raven in a low tone.

"Yup! We asked Professor Longbottom for gift ideas and he said you might like the plant you grew. It's a pretty rare plant so take care of it!" said Oliver. Raven slowly nodded, smiling brightly and turning around to hug him once again.

"Thank you two so much! I promise I will take good care of it!" She said, releasing the blushing Oliver and moving to hug Alice.

The rest of the day was nothing like Raven thought it was going to be. This morning she had imagined her day being dull and boring, now it was nothing of the sort. After placing the Dittany plant in her dormitory next to her bed, she spent the rest of the day with Alice and Oliver. For once there was no worries of homework and quizzes within the halls of Hogwarts, just fun. That was what Raven needed.

The three spent hours outside playing in the blankets of snow that fell over the grounds. They even gave Hagrid a visit, seeing the latest magical creature that was placed in his care. After the trip outside they returned to the school to warm up. While they were inside to recover from the cold Alice brought them to a classroom Raven never really paid too much attention to. Opening the door, Alice received a smile from a woman who looked a lot like her.

"Alice! Goodness your cheeks are all red, were you outside?" The woman asked, rushing up to her. Raven noticed that while her hair color was the same, it was parted differently and much longer. However she had the same colored eyes as Alice and was probably just as pale.

"Hello Professor Carinana." Oliver smiled, waving at the woman.

"Mr. Reed, good to see you. And hello again Miss Taylor." she said in return. Raven suddenly figured it out, putting two and two together she looked between the woman and Alice.

"We were outside Mother. Snowball fights are fun!" said Alice.

"Mother?" Raven pointed between them now instead of just looking.

"Yeah, did you not know that my mother taught Defense Against the Dark Arts?" asked Alice. She had never really put the pieces together.

"Oh … er … I ..." Raven stammered.

"It's alright dear." said Mrs. Carinana. "Now, what brings you three here?"

"Today is Raven's twelfth birthday!" Oliver smiled and gave Raven a little push forward. Stumbling, she stood in front of Alice's mother.

"We were wondering if we could hang out in here for a little while till we get warmed up." said Alice.

"Well happy birthday Raven! I hope you've been having a good day. By the looks of it, I think you have. And of course you can." Alice's mother said.

* * *

><p>As the week moved on and Christmas was fast approaching, Alice and Oliver had to get things in order for the arrival of Raven's family. They had cleared it over with Professor Thornwood, she giving permission to allow her mother to enter the school to see it. Now all that had to be done was to get them here. Raven's father already had that covered, wanting to bring his wife to the school he once went to himself and to show her all the things the world of magic had to offer. He was sure she would see the world in a much more magical light.<p>

On Christmas morning Raven woke up with much the same attitude she did on her birthday. Not being able to spend the morning with her family opening presents was taxing on her resolve. She did the same as every morning since her birthday, check on her Dittany plant, making sure it was growing well and healthy. She even thought of harvesting the essence for Professor Longbottom to use. Once she had tended to her plant and watered it as it needed, she moved to get dressed and head for the Great Hall for breakfast.

Raven placed a hand over her mouth as she walked to the hall, the doors were open this time, the students already inside, enjoying breakfast. Oliver sat at the Hufflepuff table enjoying a plate of a traditional breakfast feast, Alice however, was no where to be seen. The Ravenclaw headed to the Hufflepuff table, sitting next Oliver while he was in mid bite and startling him to where he began to choke. Alarmed, Raven began to slap him on the back until he hacked up the object obstructing his airways.

"Oliver I'm so sorry!" Raven cried out.

"M-Merry Christmas Raven." gasped Oliver. Once he caught his breath he pushed his plate away only to let his head hit the table and his arms curl around it.

"Where's Alice?" asked Raven, hesitating on trying to pick out food from the array set out before them.

"Um … I don't know. She hasn't come into the hall yet."

"Really? She's normally the first one in here."

"I haven't heard from her since yesterday." said Oliver, lifting his head to look at her. Raven frowned, looking to the doors as if she was expecting her Slytherin friend to show up any moment.

The morning went on and Alice never showed, most of the hall was cleared out, only Raven and Oliver remained. They continued to wait for her, only an hour after the hall had emptied had Alice rush into the Great Hall dressed in her thick winter robes. She rushed past Raven and pushed Oliver back into the wall, leaving a very confused Ravenclaw standing in their wake.

"Abort the parent plan!" whispered Alice with urgency in her voice.

"Huh? Why?" asked Oliver.

"They're not coming. Raven's parents were attacked on their way here and her father is in St. Mungo's!"


	16. Something to Protect

**Author's Note: **Turnabout is fair play.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen<strong>

**Something to Protect**

"What?" Oliver gasped out. Alice quickly brought her fingers to her lips and silenced him with a hiss.

"Her family was on their way here and they were attacked by someone! Her father is in St. Mungo's and her mother is in hysterics." said Alice, trying to be as quiet as possible. Oliver grit his teeth, eyes glancing over to Raven who stared at them with a blank look.

"What do we do then?" he asked.

"Switch to something else, don't let her know what happened. She should hear it from a professor rather than her friend." replied Alice. She pulled away from him, shoving him in Raven's direction while she pulled her cloak around her and rushed out the large doorway.

Standing there with the same look Raven had, Oliver looked at her and softly shrugged his shoulders, giving the best smile he could. The Ravenclaw slowly lifted her hand, pointing silently to where Alice ran off to and he simply shook his head, motioning to the table for her to sit back down. When she refused and turned to follow after the Slytherin, Oliver rushed at her, jumping at her to keep her from following.

"AH! OLIVER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed out, struggling under him when she hit the floor.

"We … have something else! Yeah! You gotta stay here though!" he pleaded to her. Pulling herself from his grip, Raven began to push him away with her foot. He held on as tight as he could, but in the end he only ended up with one of her shoes while she took off out of the hall after Alice. In a futile effort to stop her he held his hand out, withdrawing it meekly when his attempt at authority was ignored.

Alice raced down the hallway after delivering her news to Oliver. Her robes fluttered out behind her with the speed she traveled back to the courtyard where Raven's mother and brother were being held in the safety of Thornwood's care. She never intended this to happen, who would be attacking them anyway? Was it a lone Death Eater, after all these years trying to start up the Dark Lord's plans again? Was it an enemy of the family?

Out into the snow covered square she rushed as fast as her feet would carry her. Greeted by the sight of Renee kneeling next to her son, a look of confusion and sadness etched on her face. Professor Thornwood was standing before the two in a black wool trench coat, hands in her pockets while she tried to get some answers out of the hysterical woman. Raven's brother was just as scared, this should have been a happy time for the family, and instead she had brought them out into danger. When Alice arrived she was panting slightly, looking up to the professor who was looking a little irritated with her interrogation.

"Did you find anything Professor?" asked Alice, standing upright while she hid her hands deep in the confines of her cloak.

"They're too frightened to talk straight. I'm not sure what happened." said Thornwood, reaching up and rubbing her temples.

"It's cold out here, perhaps if we take them inside someplace safe they will be able to talk later?" suggested Alice, bringing her scarf up over her mouth. The professor, looking already defeated with everything else she tried to do, agreed with the idea and knelt to come eye level with Renee.

"Mrs. Taylor, would you like to bring your son and yourself inside? I assure you Hogwarts is the safest place to be right now." said Thornwood. She held her hand out to the woman in offering, and with a quick glance to her son, Renee took the offer. Taking hold of the witch's hand, Raven's mother stood then helped her son as well. Alice followed after them, acting as a makeshift guardian from behind to make sure nothing would follow them. She wasn't prepared for what was in front of them however. Standing still, a look of shock on her face, Raven watched as her mother and brother were ushered into the school from the courtyard.

"W-What are you two doing here?" she asked when the two stopped.

"Raven!" cried Renee and rushed to her daughter, arms wide open. Her daughter rushed into her arms, eyes closing tightly as she laughed and held onto her.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she laughed, holding onto her mother tight.

"Raven, Dad is in the hospital!" said Tobias, holding onto his mother's coat. Pulling back from her mother, Raven looked at her brother, her face going pale.

"What?"

"We were on our way to come see you for Christmas and these people in black cloaks attacked us!"

"Tobi, don't tell her such horrible stuff!" scolded Renee. Her son frowned, seeming to withdraw behind her.

"Dad is hurt? We have to see him! Is he okay?" said Raven in a shaky voice.

"We will … I just … I don't know where to go … where they've taken him." her mother said in a voice equally as shaky as her daughter's. She looked to Thornwood who was piecing together the words about the people in black cloaks. Once she realized she was being stared at her attention turned to the Muggle woman.

"Oh! Right. You have no need to worry Mrs. Taylor, I will take you and your family to St. Mungo's to see your husband." she said and reached to take the woman's hand. "Everyone hold hands and no matter what, do not let go."

"Professor, what about the apparition barrier?" said Alice, watching the Taylor family gather together.

"It's down for only a moment. Now, let's go." Thornwood said and with that the bodies of the four seemed to get sucked up into the area they once were. There was a loud pop when they vanished, air rushing in to take the place where they once stood.

Alice frowned, staring where her friend and her family once stood. She felt like this was her fault. She was the reason her father was hurt. If she hadn't been so sure of such a great present this would make, her family would still be at home, safe from harm. She should have known. As Alice stood there regretting her decisions, Oliver rushed up behind her out of breath. He was knelt over while trying to catch enough to speak, but his gasps for air were quickly silenced when he saw the look of hurt on his friend's face.

Alice turned to look at him, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Before he even had a chance to say a word, Alice took hold of him in a hug, hiding her face in his neck. Oliver looked down at her, confused as to what to do. He looked to the sides as his face grew pink from his blush and slowly let his arms fall around her, trying to comfort her as he felt awkward enough with the situation.

* * *

><p>Another crack in the air and the four appeared within an ally way near a red bricked building. Renee stumbled before getting a death grip on her children's arms. She looked like she was going to be sick, face pale and eyes wide. Raven managed to get her to let go, stepping away to look around with the small daze she had while her brother was seeming to cheer at the ride they just got. Thornwood motioned the three to follow with her hand and immediately took off walking to the opening of the ally. They followed keeping close behind the woman and avoiding the look of other people. They stopped in front of the building they had appeared beside, a large department store which seemed eternally under renovation even after nineteen years.<p>

"Purge and Dowse?" said Renee. "What are we doing here? This place is never open."

Thornwood held her hand out at her face to silence her, looking in the window at the female mannequin who looked ugly and worn down with age. The family of three looked at each other as if the witch was mad, but turned their attention back to her when she spoke.

"We are here to see David Taylor as visitors." said Thornwood. The dummy seemed like it had come to life, nodding it's head to the professor in approval and then once again becoming lifeless. Thornwood motioned for them to come closer.

"Step through the window, wait for me on the other side." she said, holding her hand out to Renee in a offer to help. The Muggle woman looked at her as if she really had gone mad, but quickly remembered that she was in the world of magic now, and things like this were normal.

Renee took her hand and cautiously touched the glass like she was testing water. It felt gelatinous, giving off an odd sensation. She was spending too much time dawdling on the substance of the window and felt herself shoved into it. Tripping through she came to a stop before she hit the ground, head lifted to see where she was now. Renee was amazed, on the outside this place looked like a closed down store, but inside it was like a whole different world.

It looked like a normal hospital on the inside, a woman sat at the front desk, awaiting patients and visitors alike. Renee turned her head once she saw her son and daughter come through, followed finally by Thornwood. The witch motioned them once again to follow her and they did, keeping close behind her like some spell would backfire and throw them out.

"Hello there, how can I help you this morning?" asked the witch at the desk.

"We're here to visit David Taylor." replied Thornwood.

"Ah yes, he's up on the fourth floor. I'm afraid he's in treatment right now though so if you would like to wait up on the fifth floor I can send someone to get you when he's returned to his room." said the receptionist. Thornwood nodded to her and took hold of Renee's wrist, pulling the woman along so she wouldn't become distracted. Raven took her brother's hand and followed after the professor.

Upon arriving on the fifth floor they were greeted with the sight of an average waiting area. There was a store for visitors to buy gifts for the patients they were seeing, vending machines with various magical treats that Renee had never even seen before. How much had she missed out on because of her husband's decision to protect her from things she didn't know? Thornwood took a seat while Tobias and Raven's attention was quickly drawn to the gift shop. They were amazed with all the different magical things that could be bought.

"Hey, mum? Can I get this?" called Tobias to his mother, he holding up a plush frog that moved much like a real one.

"Tobi you know I don't have the money for these things." said Renee with a frown. Thornwood looked between the mother and son, then slowly stood, walking to the gift shop. Tobias looked up at her when she plucked the frog from his arms and moved to the purchasing counter. She set it down, glancing to Raven as if asking if she wanted to get anything. Raven looked down at a small box she found that when opened would play music without the aid of being wound up. She held it out to the professor and for once with a gentle smile she took it, setting it up next to the frog.

Paying for the items, she handed them back to the children and stepped out of the store to go back to her seat. Tobias grinned brightly, rushing to his mother while the plush frog struggled to get out of his arms. Raven clutched the box she was given, smiling down at it. She wanted to put something in it to give to her father, but was limited on what to do. She would think of something.

About an hour passed before a nurse entered the fifth floor asking for Renee. When she stood at the sound of her name, the healer give the woman a hopeful smile and motioned for the group to follow. They arrived on the fourth floor, guided by the healer they were brought to the room Raven's father was placed in. The nurse left, shutting the door behind her to give them privacy. Giving the same, Thornwood moved to the other side of the room.

Raven looked ahead at the man on the hospital bed. It was her father, but he didn't look like anything she remembered. Covered in bandages, one over his eye. She frowned at the sight, he didn't even have his glasses.

"David!" Renee called out to her husband. She rushed to his side, tears welling in her eyes. His own slowly opened, looking up to see the radiant beauty of his wife's face.

"This must be heaven, because I think I have an angel looking at me right now." he said with a weak smile. Renee smiled herself, holding his hand on her own.

"No you're not, this is your wife." she said, patting his hand.

"What's the difference?" he said, grinning ear to ear. His wife shook her head and kissed him lovingly on the lips, causing Tobias and Raven to turn away and make disgusted noises.

"Dad look!" said his son, holding up the wriggling plush frog. "It's a stuffed animal that moves!"

"I see, that's pretty cool." said David, appealing to his son. Tobias rushed off to sit with the frog while Raven took his place, looking her father over.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"Of course, I survived the Second Wizarding War, you think a little curse can stop me?" said David. The grin he held on his face caused his daughter to smile, being a little more relaxed. "Oh, happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks Dad." said Raven with a smile and reached to hug her father the best she could. She looked down at the small musical box she held in her hands, keeping it close before putting it in the pocket of her pants. She knew what she was going to put into it. Almost as silently as a ghost Thornwood moved to David's other side, looking him over for a second before clearing her throat to talk.

"Mr. Taylor, do you remember what happened, what these people looked like?" she asked. David glanced at her from one available eye, a frown present on his lips.

"I don't remember much really. We were getting out of the car and these people in black cloaks-"

"Witches? Wizards?" Thornwood interrupted.

"Yes," continued David. "There was four of them. They didn't say anything, but I think one of them was female."

"Female? Interesting." she replied, writing down the information quickly like a reporter. "Any other information you can give that would help?"

David opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it when there was a loud crack in the air. Everyone stood back, glancing at one another as tripping forward was Xyronis. He looked out of breath, knelt over to catch it before standing upright. He brushed back stray hair, clearing his throat to speak.

"Pardon me, I had no intention of being late." he said, straitening the tie of his suit.

"We'll you are Mr. Carinana." scolded Thornwood. She looked extremely annoyed with the man as he glanced nervously at her. "I have already gathered most of the information that you would need for the Department."

"Right, thank you for stepping in my place, Saphina." he said with a look of irritation his own. Thornwood held out the paper she had just written on, Xyronis snatching it from her and looking it over. He read it over quickly, taking in the information with a near photographic memory. Once he finished his head lifted, eyes falling on David who gave him a cheesy smile and wave.

"'ello X-ray."

"Xyronis." replied Xyronis with a sigh of defeat.

"You're an Auror now? Never would have guessed! Last time I saw you was when we were still at Hogwarts!" said David with a grin.

"Yeah, last time I saw you, you were shooting your mouth off to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." he sighed, flicking his wand to bring a chair from across the room to sit.

"Oh come on, the man is dead and you still can't say his name?" said David. "It's almost twenty years later, his name strikes no fear in anyone anymore."

Xyronis looked at him with a stern glare. He wasn't here for reunions, he was here to do his job as in Auror. That friendly face that David was giving off was quickly wiped clean and replaced with a look of seriousness. Xyronis cleared his throat again, settling in the chair and looking up at the broken man.

"Well, since Miss Thornwood was nice enough to give me a head start, are there any details missed? Anything at all?" he asked.

"Um, there was one thing." began David. "Right before we were attacked, I could smell a distinct scent, like burnt wood, you know?"

Xyronis tapped his chin. "Burnt wood?"

David nodded, leaning back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling and folding his hands together over his stomach. The Auror could tell that his witness was growing tired of the interview. He didn't blame him, Thornwood would pry more and more to get the information she needed and Xyronis was sure that she had done just that. Offering a smile to his former class mate, he stood and folded the paper with the information on it.

"Well, that will be all for today then. I will run this data to the Ministry and we'll see if we can find out who did this to you." he spoke with a slight tone of sympathy in his voice. With that being said Xyronis tucked the paper into his suit, the air popping in his wake when he disapparated.

Raven looked up at where Alice's father once stood, then to her father who's head was now tilted the other way. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she heard her father speak before she could.

"Raven, I want you to return to school alright? Your education is much more important now then ever." he said.

"Dad … I don't want to leave while you're hurt." said Raven. She frowned, clenching the music box tight in her hands once she had removed it from her pocket.

"You need to learn how to protect yourself." said David. "Your mother and brother are depending on you to keep them safe when I can not. Now that there are two magic users in the house, I want you to hone your skills, learn everything you can."

Raven watched him as he spoke, his eyes closed. With a small 'okay' Raven nodded her head, then turned to looked back at Thornwood who was waiting patiently by the door. Turning back to look at her father again, she was greeted with a warm smile. Holding out a bandaged hand to her, Raven took it and he drew her in, kissing her forehead softly and petting the back of her head with the other.

"No matter what your mother says, she doesn't understand our world." he whispered to her. "I have tried to show her the positives to it, but now she will see the dangers magic holds. She doesn't have a clue how to defend herself, but you can help her. Protect her, protect Tobi, do what I failed to."

"You didn't fail Dad. They're both fine and they both will be. I'll help you protect them." said Raven. David smiled at her, once again kissing his daughter's forehead.

"That's my girl."

"Mr. Taylor, a moment if you would?" Thornwood stood at the end of his bed, David looking to his wife and children before nodding his head for them to step aside. The Professor waited until everyone was out before flicking her wand and closing the curtain around the bed. David watched her in silence while the drapery came to a stop once it circled the area.

"With your permission I would like to place a protection charm around your son and wife. You know very well students are not allowed to use magic out of school." she said.

"I do know that very well, Saphina, but if you remember correctly students are allowed only in emergency situations and self defense." said David. "I'd say an attack on her family would be an emergency or self defense, wouldn't you?"

"You are right." said Thornwood. "However I am still placing the charm on your family. Raven is safest at the school, she will not need one until she leaves for the summer."

"By all means, go ahead."

Thornwood nodded at him before pushing the curtains back with her hand this time. She motioned for Raven to follow, looking back over her shoulder at the family she was leaving behind.

"Spend as much time as you need with you husband Mrs. Taylor. I will arrange you and your son an escort home once you are finished." she said.

Having already said her goodbyes to her family, Raven ran up to her father giving him a final hug before running back to Thornwood's side. The words her father said to her was still swarming in her head. Before she was simply going to this school because she was expected to, but now she had more purpose. She would learn to become better, practice to protect her family. She knew this was what she had to do.

* * *

><p>While there weren't many students for the feast, the Great Hall was still decorated in Christmas spirit. As if by clockwork the ghosts of Hogwarts sung carols through the halls. Sitting at each of their tables was Alice and Oliver. Head hung down, the Slytherin looked like she had been hit with an emotional truck. Oliver sat at the Hufflepuff table, watching the windows while snow fell in a thick blanket outside. He would turn his head occasionally to check on Alice, who still looked the same, staring blankly at her table top while the remaining Slytherin moved around her to get their food.<p>

Oliver stood from his seat, using the table to push himself up. He couldn't stand to see his friend hurt so much over an accident, a misunderstanding. The moment he stood up the doors to the Great Hall opened, Raven making strides into the room. Everyone looked up to see who had come in, Alice the last to look up. She had expected to see a tearful Raven, but instead she saw someone she didn't even know. The look on her face wasn't that of sadness, but a calm determination. She looked like she wasn't affected by the attack at all.

Wasting no time Alice stood, pushing herself away from the table and running to Raven with her arms open. The Ravenclaw watched as she raced at her, stumbling back once she collided against her. Her smile grew and Raven put her arms around her friend, no, her _best _friend. Oliver quickly rushed to join them, throwing his arms around the two girls as the group hugged tightly.

"Raven … I'm sorry, what happened … I just wanted you to spend Christmas with your family." Alice began.

"I did, and I think it was the best thing to ever happen to me." said Raven. "Thank you Alice."

"Hey I helped come up with the idea." said Oliver. Raven laughed, holding her friends closer to her.

"Thank you both, I couldn't have asked for a better present."

After the feast and everyone retreated to their dorms, Raven sat on the edge of her bed, wearing her pajamas and getting ready to sleep. Resting in her hands in her lap she looked down at the music box within her grip. She opened the box, the soft melody playing while the inside of it remained empty. A smile on her face, Raven leaned forward and took a small pair of scissors resting inside her side table drawer. While she held the instrument in one hand, the other she placed the open box on the surface next to her Dittany plant.

Using the scissors, she gently snipped one of blossoms from the plant and held it in her hand. Raven closed her eyes as if silently making a wish, closing her hand around the flower and holding it to her chest. Opening her eyes once more she took it and gently pushed it into the music box, shutting the lid and silencing the song. Raven replaced the scissors into the drawer, placing the box in there as well and shutting it tight.

Tomorrow morning she would send the box to her father.


	17. Abduction

**Author's Note:** Short chapter is kinda short. Sorry. _**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen<strong>

**Abduction**

Life was starting to come back to the school as winter was drawing to a close. Outside the snow which once covered the ground in blankets was melting away under the sun. The birds chirped while they gathered materials for nests, the old whomping willow tree letting it's branches fan out in the sun, shaking to get the remaining snow off. Today was a pleasant day, and it was taking its toll on the students of Hogwarts. Many would stare off out the open hallways, waiting for their chance to run out into the sun and enjoy the beautiful spring day.

Raven stood leaning against one of the pillars as she looked out into the courtyard, observing the snow melting on the stone. Under her cloak she clutched her books close to her chest, the latest edition of _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ one of the top books. Ever since her conversation with her father, Raven had been taking her education much more seriously then she had before. She had a goal now even at age twelve, and that was to protect her family. Her brother would eventually be old enough to come to school and learn on his own, but for now she would have to take most of the burden.

Moving from the pillar and hoisting herself up onto the large window ledge, she rested her back against the side of the pole and letting her legs rest off the side. Her classes were done for the day so she would spend the rest of it enjoying the warming weather. Raven took the books she held against her chest and set them down, looking over her D.A.D.A text book. She had read the book cover to cover over the winter, but she continued to scour the pages for anything she could have missed. She couldn't practice the spells outside of class but that wouldn't stop her from reading about them.

With a small yawn Raven flipped the book open, looking into it's pages while the halls began to thin. Those that still had classes reluctantly went on their way while other students who were done began spilling outside to enjoy the warmth of the sun. She traced her index finger down the page, looking for where she had left off. Raven was already reading ahead of their lessons in class, determined to use her knowledge to better protect her family. Ever since that day at the hospital, her time was spent more on her schoolwork then ever.

As Raven began to read her attention was suddenly turned away from the book when she heard Oliver's voice come from down the hall. He smiled, waving his arm up in the air at her as he approached.

"Raven! Why are you still inside on a beautiful spring day?" asked Oliver. Her shoulders shrugged while she closed the book and slid out of the window, putting her book away in her bag. The young boy's eyes watched her hand, then looked back up to her face, smiling more.

"Alice wanted to see us actually. She said something about potion experiments she needs our help with." he said, getting a quick look of boredom on his face.

"Aw really?" whined Raven. "She knows I hate potions. Why can't she just find someone else to help her with those?"

"I dunno." said Oliver with a shrug. "Come on, we should get going before she gets mad at us for being late."

"Right right." she nodded, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder and following after him.

Oliver led her out over the school grounds, Raven looking down at the blades of grass were forcing their way through small pockets of snow left on the ground. Even some of the wild flowers on their way into the forest were beginning to bloom. Their shoes crunched over melting snow, twigs and dead leaves. The sound was almost hypnotic, Raven not bothering to notice where she was until she realized they were going into the Forbidden Forest.

"Wait, Oliver. We're not supposed to be going in here." she said. "Even Alice knows that, why are we in here?"

"I'm just going where she told me to go." sighed Oliver. Reluctantly she continued to follow him, but it was like something smacked her over the head and she stopped again. She stared at Oliver's back, eyes wide as she pieced everything together. He stopped walking when he noticed he wasn't being followed anymore. He frowned, turning to face her with a look of confusion on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Oliver.

"Alice can't be out here." answered Raven.

"Huh?"

"She's in Transfiguration class right now." she said with a glare. "Where are you taking me?"

Oliver looked her, that confused expression still on his face. He saw she wasn't going to let up and sighed, reaching into his bag and pulling out leather bound satchel. Curiosity lifted as she watched him step closer to her, fingers moving to unlace the tie around the pouch.

"Oliver?"

"I had hoped to make it out of the school property before using this but you caught on too quickly." he spoke as his voice held on unusual tone to it. Raven began backing up, eyes going wide while his steps towards her grew quicker. Oliver rose the bag into the air, the Ravenclaw turning herself around fully and bolting away from him. She rushed past trees that all looked the same, glancing behind her to see Oliver nearly upon her. When did he get so fast?

She quickly hopped over a root that was above the ground, digging into her robes for her wand. From behind her she heard her pursuer call out a spell, her teeth gritting tightly and diving to the ground to avoid the spell. The magic flew over her head and she scrambled to her feet, taking off into a run again. Oliver had led her so deep into the forest she didn't have a clue where she was. All she could do was run and hope she could escape him and the wildlife as long as possible.

_What was going on?_ The question rang in her head while she ducked behind a large tree. Raven listened for his footsteps to pass, the pounding of his feet on dead leaves leading him away from her hiding spot. Her hands were shaking as she held her wand in such a tight grip her knuckles were turning white. This was a situation she didn't want to be in, nor did she know how to handle it. She couldn't attack her friend, for whatever reason he was attacking her for.

When she was sure she couldn't hear him any longer she gave a sigh of relief, pushing herself up off the trunk of the tree. Avoiding him proved easier then she thought, and a small smile came to her face. Raven took a few steps forward, stopping and tripping backwards once Oliver seemed to fall out of the sky in front of her. She gasped as the pouch was thrown at her, a silver glittering powder exploding from it and hitting her in the face. Her mistake caused her to inhale the substance, almost instantly her body reacting and she no longer had control of her body movements. Paralyzed, Raven hit the ground with a thud, arms twisted slightly at awkward angles.

"This could have all been avoidable if you would just have followed me through the forest." said Oliver, walking around her to look her over. All she could do was watch as he knelt, prying her wand from her frozen grip. He stared down into her eyes, he could see within them the hurt of betrayal. A sigh escaped his lips while he leaned down, lifting her limp body into his arms. He walked backwards, glancing over his shoulder as if looking for something. Touching a dead tree stump with his back, the two of them vanished, the wood serving as a port key.

* * *

><p>The first thing that came to Raven's senses was the smell of burning wood. The room they appeared in was dark, the only thing lighting it was the flames within the large fireplace. Oliver brought her body to the winged chair, the woman sitting in it looking over the young girl as she was set on the floor. The woman of blonde hair and black robes smiled, uncrossing her legs and coming to a stand. She then glanced to Oliver who was frowning up at her.<p>

"You do make a convincing First Year, my dear." said the woman, paying him no mind after her sentence and instead staring at Raven on the floor. "I see you had to use the powder."

"She ran away at first..." Oliver began, but was cut off when Raven's voice broke the relative silence of the room.

"TRAITOR!" she yelped out, struggling to free her body from the paralyzing grip. "How could you?"

Oliver looked at her, his face void of emotion. Raven glared at him, tears forming in her eyes as she continued to struggle, trying to overpower the spell put on her. How could he do such a thing? She didn't even know if she was in danger, but the lack of caring on his part was what frightened her the most. No matter how deep she looked into his eyes, she could not see a trace of remorse.

"Traitor?" said the woman. "Oh, right right. I forgot you two were classmates."

"Here is her wand." Oliver began to hand it over to the blonde haired woman. Helpless, Raven watched her take it, looking it over while she held it up between two fingers. She tilted her head, taking the wand and sliding it under her nose as she took in the scent.

"Unicorn hair and Fairy wings … Rosewood. Nine inches." she said, glancing to the young girl on the floor. Tearing her eyes away from Oliver, Raven looked up at her wand as it was held in the air.

"G-Give it back!" cried Raven.

"Why? You don't really need it." said the woman, throwing the wand off to the side. Raven grit her teeth, using all the strength, will power she could conjure and began moving her fingers. Little by little, if she could keep herself focused on that, she could gain mobile skills back and break the paralysis hold on her. When Raven didn't answer her, the witch leaned down and lifted her up off the floor, setting her in the chair.

"You see, you have so much more potential then what that little stick can channel." she said. A smirk formed on her lips while she turned the chair around to face away from the flames of the fire. "Tell me, little girl, do you feel like you have a special connection with the earth?"

Widening her eyes, Raven's thoughts clicked into place. She remembered when she was in the forest on Halloween, how the ground seemed to rise up to her protection. She knew that ever since then, she could grow plants in nearly any condition, any soil. The Dittany plant that continued to flourish and bloom under her care better then it would in the greenhouses came to mind. For a moment Raven's mind wasn't concentrated on trying to free herself, but instead on the realizations of what the woman had said.

"I'll take your look of wonder as a yes." The witch grinned. Slender fingers reached towards Raven's chin, cupping it between them, she turned the young girl's face left and right, looking her over and squishing her cheeks in her grip. Raven's eyes never moved away from the witch's face as she forced her head to turn.

"What you have … belongs to me." she sneered. "And I will take it back."

Gray eyes turned to Oliver who looked at her with little emotion still. Raven's eyes expressed the need for assistance, she wanted his help so much and yet he continued to deny her of it. It was like the last few months meant nothing to him. Everything they had done seemed like a lie now. A lie that had been buried so far into her trust that she didn't even know who he was, why she was here. The witch spoke to her again but she didn't hear her. Instead there was a growing hatred within her, that pleading look in her eyes fading to a burning desire to regain control of her body.

Oliver looked up to the woman as she said something to him, he nodding and stepping towards Raven. His reflection on her eye grew larger the closer he stepped, the young boy leaning down to pick her up. Her mind snapped and suddenly her hand jerked up, grasping Oliver by the neck. His eyes widened and he tried to jerk away, he only pulling Raven back with him. She was pulled out from the chair while she still gripped tightly onto him and with that propelled momentum she threw herself at the young boy, knocking him down as she sat on him.

"H-HELP!" wheezed Oliver, pulling on her hands while they grew tighter on his neck. Her nails dug into skin, blood drawing as pure hatred fueled her actions. Before she could carry out her mission she was struck with a stunning spell, her body crumpling down on top of his own. The woman glared down at her, then with a swift kick she threw Raven off of Oliver.

"She's stronger then I thought." the woman muttered, half listening to the boy coughing. He sat up, wincing as he gripped at his neck.

"Too strong for her own good." he rasped, rubbing the wounds softly.

"That's good, it means she's a strong vessel. Set up the extraction room. I'd like to drain the primal magic before she realizes how powerful she really is." the witch sighed, pocketing her wand after she twirled it a few times in her fingers.

Oliver nodded, giving his neck another rub and quickly running off. The blonde woman stepped over to Raven's body, tapping her finger on her chin as she looked her over.

"You have no idea just how lucky you are..."

* * *

><p>Raven's eyes opened to a bright light above her. Why was it always a light? Something bright to bring her back into this nightmare? Her eyes squinted shut while she tried to lift her arm to block the brightness, only to find once again she couldn't lift her arms. She pulled on them, chains clanking against stone. She was only restrained this time. She heard the sound of glass bottles hitting one another, she taking this opportunity to turn her head away from the light to see what the sounds were.<p>

There near a potions table stood Oliver, his back to her while he was focused on gathering empty vials. When he heard the chains rattle her turned, looking back at her with that same emotionless stare. His eyes were met with the cold disappointment of Raven's own.

"Why are you doing this?" said Raven. Her voice sounded raspy, her throat dry.

"Doing what?" he responded, turning around to mix a liquid into one of the empty vials.

"Helping her hold me hostage! I know this isn't you! Please let me go!"

"You're right. This isn't me." said Oliver. He turned around, smiling at her while he held up one vial filled with a brown shaded liquid. She watched as he stepped towards her, lifting her head upright while he looked at her. The two exchanged looks, Raven breaking down first as she turned her eyes away from him.

"Then stop this! Release me and come back with me to Hogwarts! I won't tell anyone. Oliver I know this isn't your nature. I don't even know why I'm here!"

"You are here because you are one of the vessels of primal magic." he said, tilting his head to look her over.

"What?"

"Ancient magics based off the elements. Earth, Fire, Air, and Water." he began. "All of these are primal elements of the world, and they control everything. Back when the world was young, these were the bases of all magic. However their use has faded over time and the elemental magic eventually died out. Or so we thought. You see, a prophecy was made years ago that vessels for the primal magics would be born and they would return to the world through these beings in the modern times.

Once all four elements return to us they will live through their vessels and bring them ultimate power over their element. Those that control the primal magic, control the world. My family is bred to house the primal magic, and so we are going to extract the earth element from you and give it to it's rightful vessel, causing the current one to die."

"... What?" said Raven, a blank look on her face. Oliver slapped his hand to his forehead, eyes closed tightly.

"Let me put it into words you can understand. You are the vessel of Earth. We're taking the Earth out of you and giving it to someone who can use it and you will die."

"Uh … but what if I want to keep it?"

"Oh, well I guess we can't- What does it matter? We're taking it anyway!" snapped Oliver. He grunted and moved back to the potion's table, mixing up something else. Raven's attention fixed on the vial he had left sitting near her. She was already causing enough noise, he wouldn't notice her grabbing for it, right? Stretching her arm as far as she could, her fingers wrapped around the vial, drawing it in and holding it against her. If there was ever a time she thought herself clever, certainly now would be a time.

"You know I think these chains are too loose. You should tighten them." said Raven with a nod in Oliver's direction. He turned to look back at her, she holding up her other arm to show how loose it was.

"You're right." he said. He set the vials down, moving around the stone platform to crank the lever to tighten the chains.

"Oh, and by the way?"

"Huh?" he muttered, lifting his head just in time to see the brown liquid go at his face.

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE!" cried Raven. Oliver reeled back, clutching his face as he stumbled backwards. The brake in the chains off, the restraints fell off her wrists and she quickly pushed herself up.

"You idiot! What have you done?" Oliver growled out from behind his hands, but something was different. His voice was different. Raven watched as Oliver seemed to grow taller, more adult and behind his hands it was like his face had turned to liquid. Her eyes widened as an older man stood in his place, wiping the liquid from his skin quickly. Polyjuice potion! It wasn't Oliver at all!

Suddenly her spirit was bolstered, Oliver was innocent! He wasn't a backstabber after all! But that meant that he was here somewhere. Certainly he wouldn't give away his hair willingly. Raven ducked under tables while the man continued to wipe his face of the potion. Having no idea where she was, it was going to take a while to find her way out of this place. The man blindly turned his back to where she was hiding and with that window of opportunity open, Raven quickly left the room, slinking along the wall until she was far enough to run without getting noticed.

_Hang on Oliver! As soon as I find my wand, we're getting out of here!_


	18. Through the Dark

**Author's Note:** It' been a rough week for me, so I apologize if there are a few errors that I have missed. 

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen<strong>

**Through the Dark**

The hallways of the building were dark, every footstep echoed off the walls. Raven peered through her glasses into the black void, her back pressed hard against the wall behind her. It was hard to keep her footsteps quiet and eventually came to walking on her toes to avoid anymore sound interference. After minutes of walking blindly in the dark, Raven managed to catch sight of light coming from the end of the hallway. Her footsteps light, she crept along the wall, only pulling away from it to peer around the corner.

The room she was held in earlier was what she saw, the fire still roaring and giving light to the area. Near the fireplace she could see her wand laying on the floor where the woman left it. Raven smiled brightly, pushing herself off the wall and quietly moving forward into the room. It looked empty enough, the only things within the room were a few decorations which were hardly noticeable among the dark. Empty picture frames hung on the wall, the figures that one occupied them were gone except for one.

Over the fire was a picture of the woman from earlier along with the man she had recently escaped from. They were both asleep in the frame, Raven squinting her eyes as she crept across the room, trying to see the names under the picture. Marywin and Edward Palance. So that's who these people trying to capture her were. Raven held her breath, stretching herself to try and reach her wand without the picture noticing. She touched it with her fingertips, trying to pull it towards her.

The picture of Edward suddenly woke up, glancing around the room before his eyes shot down to the floor just below the painting. Nothing was there, causing him to glare around the room. He still didn't find anything, and so with a light shrug the man returned to sleep, letting his head rest against his wife in the frame. Raven hid within the shadows beside the fire place, wand tight in her grip. Now that she was armed again she had to find Oliver and get them both out of here.

She began to creep back across the room, her footsteps more swift in her urgency to find her friend. Back into the darkened hallway, she traveled as far as she could down it before she muttered _Lumos_, the tip of her wand lighting up and giving her sight of the hall. It was barren, the walls and floor had nothing on them and were made with the same black stone that made up the other room. The only thing to be noted were the few doors. Perhaps Oliver was in one of them?

Making sure to avoid the first door where she had come out of, she hid the light from her wand when she passed. The man known as Edward was no longer in the room, but that meant he was around this house somewhere. Once she was past the door, Raven's wand re-lit, giving her vision down the dark hall. She wasn't sure where to start looking, going door to door seemed a simple enough plan. With a sigh she came up to the first door, pushing it open and was met with the sight of an empty room.

Each door lead to different areas, some was bedrooms, drawing rooms. The house she was in was apparently large enough to hold many guests, and very old. The final door was at the end of the hallway before it turned into another. A small light came from under it, Raven's heart skipping a beat with the thought of finding Oliver behind it. Slowly she stepped up to the door, pressing her ear against it and listening for any voices behind it. She wasn't disappointed, the voice of her captor rose in anger and was easily heard through the wood of the door.

"She got AWAY?" snapped Marywin.

"She tricked me! She threw a potion in my face that caused the Polyjuice potion to fail." said Edward.

"What was she doing with the potion in the first place? Don't you realize how long it takes to make that stuff? Not to mention we only have enough Polyjuice mixture for one more disguise. Rip another hair from the Mudblood's head and go find her!"

_Oliver!_ Raven's eyes widened and she lowered herself a little to look in through the keyhole on the door. Inside she could see the couple arguing with one another. Behind them against the wall was Oliver, nearly naked and scared out of his mind. Edward sighed, swiping the flask from his wife as she held it out and then moved towards the frightened boy.

"N-No! Stay away from me please! I-I'm sorry I cheated on my homework!" cried Oliver, flinching and holding his arms up in defense while the man stepped closer.

"OLIVER!" screamed Raven. Both Marywin and Edward lifted their head as the door was blown off it's hinges. Wand in both hands, she looked at both of them, then to Oliver. His eyes were wide in both surprise and fear, the sight of Raven was almost like an angel. Wand held in front of her, she didn't move, her eyes remained focused on the two adults.

"Raven, what are you doing?" said Oliver, glancing between her and the two between them.

"I don't know! I didn't really plan any farther then this!" she admitted, never taking her eyes off the two.

"Not too bright are you?" said Marywin with a smirk and a raise of her wand.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ cried out the young girl, the spell flying across the room and removing the wand from the older woman's hand. Marywin yelped, grasping her hand once she was disarmed. Edward began feeling around for his wand, but Raven was quick to react, she flicking her wand out and causing a spell to fly from the end, smashing the wall an causing the dust and debris to fill the room. While the two were coughing Raven rushed into the room, searching around for Oliver's hand. She took hold it, pulling him up and tugging him along out of the room.

"Raven! Are you okay?" asked Oliver while he was pulled along behind her.

"I'm fine! How are you?" she said, pulling him around a corner.

"They took my uniform..." he groaned, her face becoming red with blush. Raven had not really noticed until he actually said something about it and tried to keep her eyes forward to keep both of them out of more embarrassment.

"Do you know the way out of here? So far this place has only been full of halls and doors and one large room." said Raven as she glanced back at his face.

"I don't know, I wasn't conscious when they brought me here."

"And they used a port key to bring me here." she sighed. "I guess we better start opening doors once we outrun them."

The two students ran down the hall, Raven picking a random door and pushing it open with her shoulder and the turn of the knob. She pulled Oliver in the dark room with her, shutting the door as quiet and quickly as she could. Their backs pressed against the door, neither one drawing a breath while they waited for the couple to hopefully run past. Oliver's eyes closed tightly, trying hard to keep himself quiet and not whimper like he wanted. Through the dark Raven looked over and him, her hand reaching over and grabbing his own.

Running footsteps left as quickly as they approached, the two running past the door and leaving the children unexposed. Once she knew it was safe enough Raven let out the breath she had been holding for nearly the whole two minutes they hid in the dark room. She let go of Oliver's hand, pulling her hands out of the sleeves of her robes and took it off. She smiled in the dark, handing her robes over to him for him to wear instead of nearly nothing at all.

"Thanks..." said Oliver. Lucky for him most robes were one size fits all. He quickly slipped them on, pulling the fabric around him to cover himself up.

"How did you even get here?" asked Raven.

"Um … I don't know!" he laughed.

"No I mean how did you get captured?"

"I don't … remember..."

"I don't believe that..." said Raven, her arms crossing.

"Alright! I saw this cat and … I wanted to pet it so I followed it and then next thing I knew I got hit with something and I was out." said Oliver, clearly embarrassed with the way he was taken. Raven couldn't help but smile softly, trying her best not to let the laugh forming come out of her mouth. Perhaps now would be a good time to check where they were. She took a few steps forward, lighting the end of her wand up once she lifted it up in the air. It looked like a study, books and papers were left on desks and the floor. One book was left open on a podium, a family history book.

Curious as to what family it held inside the pages, both Raven and Oliver moved up to look at it. Raven held her wand low to light the pages, scanning them briefly until she came to an abrupt stop on an entry within the book. Oliver looked confused with her shocked look, looking between her and the book before his eyes locked on the paragraph she was reading.

_1997_

_The war has ended and Lord Voldemort is no more. Without a leader, Death Eaters have scattered across the nation and have gone into hiding. Peace has returned once more just in time for the union. The marriage between Marywin Thornwood and David Taylor is expected to go on according to plan as soon as the groom graduates from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

"Y-Your dad was supposed to marry this woman?" stuttered Oliver. Raven looked in shock, rereading the last line over out loud.

"_Marywin Thornwood_... Her last name used to be the same as Professor Thornwood's!" she gasped out. Oliver glanced at her as she grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing at the pages as she continued to read on.

_Days before the wedding, David has gone missing. All attempts to locate him have failed. Over the month of time we have taken finding him, nothing has turned up. He has broken the family line. Other preparations must be made._

Raven stood back. She couldn't believe what she had just seen in front of her. Her eyes remained wide as she back away from the book. The news of her father's previous engagement wasn't what set her off, it was that Marywin was a Thornwood, part of the same Thornwood that was currently running Hogwarts. Come to think of it, the original headmaster had not been at the school since after the welcoming feast.

Oliver looked at her with deep concern, watching as Raven's expression turned from surprise to anger. Was their beloved assistant Headmistress along with this scheme? The grip Raven held on her wand was tight again, her teeth grinding in her mouth before she slammed the book shut.

"Come on Oliver. Let's look around for a book on whatever these people are babbling about. Maybe Alice can help us with it when we get back to Hogwarts." said Raven. Oliver nodded, holding her cloak around his frame while he began to look around at the recent books opened around the room. It took a little sifting but Raven managed to find the book she had been seeking. A large book that had no title, the pages were yellowed with age, but it looked like it was updated as needed through magic.

The last few pages were all about Raven and the elemental magic of Earth. They explained the power she had as it's vessel and the instructions on how to extract the primal magic from the vessel were written in. The pages behind her own were half blank, the elements were listed from Water, Fire, and Air, but it looked like the vessels and extraction information had not been figured out. Raven envied those that had not been found out yet. They were a whole lot better off not being pursued like she was.

"What do we do now Raven? We can't stay in this room forever." said Oliver, watching as she shut the book.

"You're right. We don't really know way out of here though!" grumbled Raven. The two glanced around the room, looking for some other way to escape. There wasn't any windows or even vents to escape through. The only thing that would make for a good way out was the fireplace in the room, but there was no floo powder. Raven didn't want to take Oliver back out into the dangers of this place but it seemed like she no longer had a choice.

"Come on, we're going to have to make a run for it." she said with a frown. Oliver nodded, taking the book as it was handed to him. With those words she found new courage. Her wand lowered while the tip went out, hiding the light. If they were going to move around undetected they would have to wander through the dark a little. Slowly she pushed the door open, sticking her head out and looking left and right. The coast was clear for now.

Raven reached for Oliver's hand, pulling him along once they made it out the room. With urgent speed her steps carried her through the darkened halls, she lighting the end of her wand every once in a while to find out where they were. Two large doors stood before them when she stopped, her eyes looking up at the dark wood designs on them. Unlike most of the doors in the house, these ones did not have a lock and so Raven pushed it open with her shoulder. The doors opened to a large ballroom, plenty of windows and dark chandeliers lit the room to the point where her wand wasn't needed. The floor was a checkered black and white and Gothic style chairs lined to walls for guests to sit. On either side of the room was doors for exit.

Silently Oliver pointed to the door and Raven was running to it before he knew it. She rushed at it and with all the force she could muster she kicked the doors open into the light of twilight. She stopped however when she was greeted with the sight of Marywin, arms crossed with her wand gripped in hand.

"Have a nice little romp around my house did you?" said the woman with a glare.

"Get out of my way." growled Raven, one hand held tightly onto Oliver's while the other gripped her wand. Marywin glanced down at it, letting a small huff escape her lips.

"Got your wand back I see. Not like it will matter. A first year like you wouldn't know the first thing about holding a wand." she said, grinning more. Raven stared hard at her, replaying the day's events. One caught her attention, the words that Marywin said. _You don't really need it. You have more potential than that little stick can channel._ The was right. If these people were telling the truth, she wouldn't need her wand.

"Oliver, take the book and run. I'll find you." said Raven, releasing his hand.

"But..." he began, but was cut off when she held her hand up to silence him. He nodded and clutched the book tightly under the robes as he began to run off. It was not like he would be much help without a wand. Marywin glared, quickly lifting her wand to stop him but suddenly yelped when the earth next to her erupted from the ground and formed a pillar, blocking her view of Oliver leaving. The witch stepped back, looking back to Raven who stared hard at her with gray eyes full of determination.

"Your fight is with me, not him." said Raven, her eyes moving only once to watch Oliver rush into the woods surrounding the house. She then directed her eyes back to Marywin who looked seething with rage.

"You dare use those powers on me? **MY** powers?" hissed Marywin. Raven answered her by moving the ground under Marywin's feet and making it rumble.

"From what I have found out, this primal magic chose me for a reason to be the vessel, and I think I know why. To keep the power away from the likes of you!" shouted Raven. Marywin screamed out in frustration and pointed her wand, red strings of magic expelling from the end and towards the younger witch. Her magic acted on it's own in defense, the ground rising up and blocking the spell while Raven rushed to the side. Unsure of how she was even controlling the ground, Raven figured that the magic responded to her defense. It was as if the magic was protecting the vessel, protecting it's self.

The older witch fired spell after spell, each one getting blocked by the ground that sprang up in front of Raven. She was growing irritated quickly, running now to try and shoot stunning spells at her but the ground would just rise up to protect her.

"That's it!" shouted Marywin. "You may have figured out how to use those powers but I will get them! You're lucky I can't kill you or you would be dead!"

"COME AT ME BRO!" shouted Raven back at her, backing away and holding her arms up in the air.

"Come … what?" said Marywin, completely dumbfounded at the comment.

"Come at me! It's a thing from the internet, pretty old but … oh forget it." said Raven, covering her face with her palm. Marywin rolled her eyes before running at her, it was obvious she couldn't hit Raven with spells but perhaps physical contact would be enough. Her hand went into a fist, taking the opportunity while Raven was distracted and gave her a swift punch to the stomach. The wind was knocked out of the girl as she fell back, eyes wide while she curled up and held her stomach through the pain.

"I guess I did come at you." said Marywin with a sneer. She slowly walked around Raven's body, moving to her back and giving a swift kick to it. More pain seared through the girl's body and the woman continued to assault her, stomping her foot into her ribs. Raven's eyes went wide as two of her ribs snapped, she screaming out in pain. Marywin laughed, grinding her heal into the wound, torturing Raven farther with physical pain.

"STOP IT!" Oliver's voice cut through from the darkness. Tears in the young boy's eyes, he tore from the forest, a large stick for his weapon. Marywin whipped around just in time for the branch to smack her in the face. The woman's body fell limp to the ground, Oliver dropping the stick and rushing to Raven who was still crying out in pain. He knelt, picking her up as gently as he could in his arms and rushed away from the scene, carrying his friend into the forest where he had himself hidden before.

"I'm sorry! Sorry!" said Oliver. He apologized every time Raven whimpered from the pain of her ribs, his steps slow and careful to try and minimize the pain. Once he returned to the spot where he was before he slowly set Raven down against a tree next to the book he had left there. The Ravenclaw looked up at him, her uniform stained with blood where her ribs were punctured through the skin.

"O-Oliver, it hurts." she whined, looking up to him as he was pulling off her robes and covering her with them.

"I know, I'm sorry, I wish I had my wand so I could help you!" he said, tucking the robe around her frame. As he tried to be careful wrapping the cloak about her,, his eyes widening a little when Raven smiled at him through the pain, pushing her wand up from the fabric of the robes. Oliver quickly reached for it, taking it from her hand and holding it in his palms. They had only started mending spells and he wasn't quite sure he knew how to use it. He had to try though, he couldn't leave her in pain like she was now.

"I'm going to try to at least ease the pain. Please bare with me." said Oliver, pointing the wand at her side and muttering words of incantation.

Raven grit her teeth as a white light flowed from the end of the wand like water. The magic seeped into her body, working to repair the bone and the wound they had caused. She cried out as the bones snapped back into place, the discomfort enough to cause more pain through her chest. Once the spell was finished she was left with a bruise in it's place, the injury would need time to heal on it's own, but Oliver's effort was enough to save her from the pain of broken bones and open wounds.

"Better?" asked Oliver.

"A little." she replied. The young boy smiled, an expression that had not graced his features since the day before.

"It will still hurt, I'm not too sure what I even did." said Oliver with a small laugh.

"You … you don't know what spell you used?"

"I just … kinda made it up on the spot and hoped it would work." he said with another laugh. Raven looked up at him, the corner of her lips tugging into a smile before chuckling weakly. Oliver laughed with her, the two friends sharing a small moment of happiness since the both of them had ended up in the despair they were in before.

"Oliver, do you know what this means?" said Raven once she sobered.

"What?"

"Your spell worked, I think a lot of people could use it if you showed them how."

"O-Oh, no not really. It's not that great..." he began.

"Of course it is, you should show the hospital wing once we get back to … Hogwarts..." said Raven, pausing slightly at the end of her sentence when she realized they still didn't know where they were. "How are we going to get home?"

"I'm sure when they notice we're missing, they'll send someone to come looking for us." said Oliver, sitting down next to her. As weak as she was, Raven still tried her best to place half of her robes around him to keep him warm from the cool spring night. Eventually someone would know that they were missing, right? The two students leaned against one another, not sure what to do except to recover within the woods. Raven knew Marywin would wake up and her and her husband would come looking for them. She only hoped they had time to rest before having to face them again.

* * *

><p>"What?" Thornwood blurted out, standing up from her desk.<p>

"They're GONE!" cried Alice, looking in hysterics. "No one has seen or heard of Oliver or Raven all day and they weren't at lunch or supper! My father can't find them anywhere on school grounds!"

Thornwood grit her teeth, glaring out the window for a few seconds. Her robes whipped around behind her as she turned quickly, rushing through the headmaster's office for something. Alice watched as the woman threw books and things aside, stopping once she found a piece of paper. Folding it, her wand flicked out towards the window, the fox Patronus springing to life from the end of her wand and dashing about the room in playful prances.

"This is an emergency that requires urgent attention from the Ministry." said Thornwood to the fox. "Two students have gone missing from Hogwarts, eleven year old Oliver Reed and Twelve year old Raven Taylor. A search squad must be sent immediately, they are both in danger."

"I'm going to look for them too." said Alice as her eyes followed the fox when it pranced out the window to deliver the message.

"You will do no such thing Miss Carinana. This is far too dangerous to involve another student."

"They are my best friends. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing while they are in trouble!" she shouted. "If you won't let me then I'll go with my father to look!"

"Alice!"

"NO! Raven and Oliver would do the same for me!" she screamed, turning around and rushing for the office door to run out it. Thornwood watched as the door slammed shut, giving a groan and shifting to the headmaster's desk to sit in the chair. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, eyes closed tight to sooth an oncoming headache.

"She reminds me of someone I used to know." Snape's portrait spoke from the other side of the room on the wall of past headmasters. He had a smug smile on his face, eyes moving from the door to Thornwood.

"Nothing but a troublemaker, her and that rowdy bunch she travels around with." the portrait of black huffed.

"Trouble seems to find this school without complication." Dumbledore's portrait said, smiling kindly down at the woman.

"You all just need to shut up..." she groaned, lowering her head down to the desk.


	19. Sibling Rivalry

**Author's Note:** Year one is almost over for Raven and her friends! The next chapter will be the last for this story so I hope you enjoyed the adventure (as slow starting as it was) and look forward to Modern Day Magic: Year Two!**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen<strong>

**Sibling Rivalry**

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as Oliver's eyes opened. They darted left and right while he remained still, trying not to wake Raven. His fingers felt along the ground for the book, curious as to figure out what all this was about. He was involved now so he figured he needed to know the reason he was used as bait for her capture. His fingers felt the spine of the book, pulling it out from under them and slowly pushing the cover open. He read the pages, taking in all the information he could. He got to the pages that explained Raven and her connection to all of this, a frown forming on his face. She didn't deserve the harassment she was receiving. Oliver wished he could take her place and ease her burden.

He sighed and turned the page, expecting to see blank pages. Writing was forming on the page for the vessel of Water, a picture of the person beginning to take place on the old parchment pages. Oliver stared a moment, eyes locked on the words before he suddenly shut the book, tossing it aside like a bad idea. Raven couldn't know about the book's pages filling up, she already had enough on her mind. It was like she knew he was thinking about her for her eyes opened, she sitting up and rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She attempted to stretch her arms up, only to wince in pain when the bruise of her broken ribs.

"Feeling any better?" asked Oliver. He glanced away from her, leaning over to bring the book back over to him.

"Not much." she sighed, holding her side.

"I didn't think you would. We should start moving. Do you think you can?"

"It hurts to breath … I can try-" began Raven. She was stopped when the robes were pulled off them as Oliver stood. He put them on and muttered something as he tapped the book with Raven's wand, then handed it to her.

"Hold onto it while we walk okay?" he asked. Before she could even answer he leaned down, picking her up in his arms and walking along with her like it was nothing all. She grit her teeth a little and her face had heated up in a blush. Raven glared down at the cover of the book in order to take her mind off the situation. She had not looked at the book since they had taken it from the study. Perhaps there was new information that was printed into it over night. Raven's fingers curled round the cover to open the book, her expression becoming surprised when it wouldn't open.

"What's wrong with the book?" asked Raven, tugging on it still to try and open it.

"Not sure." said Oliver. "We'll have the library look at when we get back to school."

Raven stopped trying to open the book to look up at Oliver's expression. It was something she had never really seen on him before, not a look of fear, no confusion or happiness like her always had. The expression his face held was a look of determination. He held no smile or frown, his mouth a nearly thin line on his face while his eyes stared ahead to their unknown destination. She wasn't sure he was even Oliver anymore.

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><p>Xyronis stood in the headmaster's office along with the rest of select Aurors. Thornwood paced the room, the paper from the other day in her hands as she looked at it, her teeth grinding silently in her jaw. Once she studied the paper enough she lifted her head, looking over the Ministry workers.<p>

"We have no idea where Mr. Reed and Miss Taylor have gone to so we're going to need a wide search of the entire area." said Thornwood. "Leave no building unturned, go everywhere you can think. They need to be found, the reputation of the school and the Ministry count on it as well as their lives."

The group nodded, discussing amongst each other the first places to look, then each one left with a pop of the air, the only one remaining being Xyronis as he looked to Thornwood. He was easy to read, his face held a serious look, but his eyes gave off a look of worry. The woman only nodded reassuringly at him, the silence thick between the two. Xyronis gave a small sigh and turned, his body vanishing with a pop of the air. Thornwood watched the spot he stood at for a long time before sitting at the Headmaster's desk, speaking out loud as if to no one at all.

"Let her in."

The door opened a few moments later, Alice standing in the doorway as it swung open. The Headmistress glanced up from the desk at her, a soft smile on her face. Her lips only kept the look of pleasantry for a moment before lowering into a thin line again.

"You sure you want to do this?" asked Thornwood.

"I told you already." answered Alice.

"Alright, you're going with me then. The others are not going to find anything. I know the first place to look." said the older woman. She stood from her seat at the desk, staring down at Alice with nearly no expression.

"How do you know where she is?" asked Alice.

"It's a hunch." replied Thornwood, taking her hand and pulling her into the vacuum of apparition.

* * *

><p>Raven and Oliver had been walking for hours. Still lost in the forest, they had not seen any sign of the tree line. This forest seemed to go on forever. Raven now rode piggy-back on Oliver, her eyes closed while her cheek rested on his back.<p>

"I'm so hungry..." groaned Raven, her eyes opening a little to glance down at Oliver. "Do you have any food?"

"Here, let me look in my bag that I didn't bring, cause I always pack a lunch when I get kidnapped." he snapped.

"Okay, you don't have to be so mean..." she said, looking the other way.

"I'm sorry, I'm hungry too. I get a little irritable when I'm hungry." said Oliver with a frown.

"I can see that." grumbled Raven, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "What are we going to do for food?"

"Maybe we can find something edible out here. Can your powers detect edible plants?" he asked, slowly setting her down so she could try and stand. He kept her near a tree in case she needed the balance.

"I don't even know what I can do with them. They kinda just come to my aid when I ask."

"Well ask them to find something to eat."

"You can't just ask them to find something to eat!"

"Why not? Have you even tried?"

"Well I've never had the opportunity." said Raven as she rolled her eyes. She leaned against the tree Oliver had set her near, closing her eyes while she tried to think of how exactly to ask something she had no idea about if it could find her food. She thought hard on her question, her eyes closing tighter then they were before. Oliver watched as the ground near them seemed to stir, the dirt being pushed aside as a green shoot sprouted from the earth.

His eyes widened when the sprout began to grow, slow at first then at a faster rate. It began to mature into a bush, the leaves growing larger and glowing a green aura. Fruit began to appear after the flowers that had bloomed were spent, blueberries growing in large bushels all over the bush. Oliver glanced around them as the green aura continued to spread along to ground, more bushes sprouting up and sporting berries for them to eat. When they had finished their growth the aura faded around them, seeping back into the dirt and into Raven's body. Her eyes opened, she glancing around at the many berry bushes that had sprung up just from her thought.

"R-Raven … that was amazing..." said Oliver in awe. Raven turned to look at him, giving a small laugh and shaking her head.

"I'm not even sure what I did." she confessed. The two laughed slightly at each other before Oliver began picking berries from the bushes. Raven did the same, holding as much as she could in her hands. When they got too full she would simply eat the ones she had, then would pick more. Oliver gathered as much as he could, eating his fill but still kept some gathered in the fabric of Raven's robe. It would be a good idea to keep some for the trip through the woods.

Once they were finished Raven had found a large leaf to fold the berries into. She would hold onto it with the book while Oliver would carry her again. She propped herself against his back while he held onto her, starting to walk. Part of her wanted to try and open the title-less book again, her fingers gently pulling at the cover but it still wouldn't budge. She sighed, resting her cheek against it. She was going to figure out how to open it no matter what.

The two students had been walking nearly the entire day. No longer able to carry her, Oliver fell to the ground of of exhaustion. Instinct took over, the ground becoming like a soft bed to support his fall. Raven crawled off him as she frowned, holding the berries and the book against her chest while he gasped out to catch his breath.

"Sorry..." said Raven with a frown. Oliver looked back at her, offering her a sincere smile but it quickly faded when his eyes set on a figure standing behind them.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry alright." Edward's voice said from behind Raven. She quickly turned around, eyes wide as both him and Marywin glared down at them, wands held tight.

"Deal with the little brat … I have a score to settle with the mudblood." said Marywin, holding her wand higher over her head. Oliver backed up on the ground, looking to Raven with panic. She jerked her eyes down to the robes he wore, reminding him he still had her wand. Without saying anything, the older witch flicked her wand forward, Oliver standing up quickly just in time to watch the ground where he once was explode in flames.

Edward smirked, stepping forward as he reached out to grab Raven's arm. Her eyes narrowed, holding the book and berries closer to her with every step he took. He reached down to grab at her when the ground rose up to defend her, smacking his hand away before crumpling down into the forest floor. Edward narrowed his eyes, watching as the earth rose again, he using his wand to blast it away. Every time he did so, the ground quickly reformed and blocked him. Raven struggled to stand up while she concentrated on keeping him at bay with the earth. She was finally starting to get a hold of these powers.

"R-Raven! What do I do?" Oliver shouted out, moving left and right to avoid the spells Marywin was flinging at him.

"_Protego_!" she replied.

"_Protego_?" he said. The moment the spell was uttered a barrier sprung forth from the tip of Raven's wand, moving around him like a bubble while the witch's spells bounced off it. He watched her glare turn into a look of rage, whipping her wand harder to try and break the barrier he had set up.

"STOP FOOLING AROUND AND RESTRAIN HER!" shouted Marywin.

"I'm trying!" replied Edward.

"She's already weak, you still can't grab her?" she snapped back. She flung another spell at Oliver's barrier, shattering it and forcing the young boy to fly back into Raven. Her concentration broken, the earth proved no longer difficult to get through and Edward quickly snatched her arm, pulling her up and against him. He restrained her with her back against him, his wand tip pressed into her neck.

"Raven!" Oliver cried out, jerking back when Marywin held him at wand point.

"Don't worry! They need me alive, they won't hurt me." she said, head held back while Edward's wand dug into her neck.

"You on the other hand, we have no need for anymore." said Marywin with a sneer. Too scared to even move, the only thing Oliver could do was stare at the wand pointed at him, then up to the witch holding it.

"Goodbye." she laughed, starting to speak the incantation to cast her spell when Edward grunted and fell to the ground. Both Marywin and Oliver looked to see what had happened to him, the older witch's eyes suddenly widening before gritting her teeth at the sight of her sister standing in front of Raven, wand aimed right at her.

"Marywin, how nice to see you again." said Thornwood.

"Saphina..." muttered Marywin. "Stay out of my way sister, you know she is mine!"

"Oh yes yes. This whole 'Primal Magic' thing you have going on." sighed Thornwood. "I will have to ask you to stop this insanity at once. These two are my students and as assistant headmistress of Hogwarts, it is my duty to protect them, as all the students of my school."

Marywin grit her teeth harder, almost grinding them in irritation. She was so close, so close to the power she could almost feel it's energy within her. To let herself be beaten by her older sister, no. She wasn't going to let that happen. She was just one witch after all! The boy could only do basic spells and the vessel was already weak from her previous attack. Yes, she wouldn't let Saphina get in the way. Marywin moved her wand away from Oliver and now pointed it at her sister, eyes narrowed.

"Oh Marywin, why would you even consider that when you're clearly outnumbered?" said Thornwood, moving aside to show Alice, gripped tightly in her grasp was Snape's wand.

"What is this? You brought an army of one child to help you? Ha! You always were a little off dear sister." said Marywin, snorting in defiance. As soon as she had done so the end of Alice's wand lit up, striking the ground right before her with magic and causing the witch to back up.

"Miss Carinana _is_ an army of one." said Thornwood. "She is top of her class and has mastered spells of higher level. You make any wrong moves and you're finished. Now, release Mr. Reed to me, and you will go unharmed along with your husband."

Marywin glared at her older sister, then back to Oliver who seemed still frozen in fear. Reluctantly the witch moved aside, watching while Alice moved forward and leaned to help her friend up. She still kept Snape's wand aimed at her, pulling Oliver up and to Thornwood's side. When Oliver was safe along with everyone else, Thornwood moved them all back behind her.

"I will leave you and your husband here unharmed." said the Headmistress, stepping forward and holding her wand up to her neck. "But if you ever, EVER kidnap any of my students again, I will not go easy on you."

"You think I will just lie down like a dog in defeat fair sister?" scoffed Marywin. "You underestimate me, like always!"

Thornwood glared, watching her sister's movements. Reading her like a book, the professor quickly whipped around, gathering the children and pushing them back before shouting _"Protego!" _and throwing a shield over them. She then planted herself to the ground just in time for one of her sister's spells to fly over her head, hit the barrier and rocket off into the sky. Thornwood laughed, at first softly, then much more pronounced as she pushed herself up off the ground.

"Of course, you'd kill your own family to obtain something for your own gain. How could I forget?" she laughed still, raising her wand and throwing a curse in her younger sister's direction. The younger witch growled, throwing up a _Protego_ spell and blocking it.

A wind blew through the air as the two stood there like gunslingers, staring each other down right before their standoff. The three children watched from behind their protective barrier, wondering what would happen next. They wouldn't have to wait long. The sound of a crow crying out as it flew from the tree seemed to signal the start of the fight and both sisters began whipping spells at one another. From what Raven could see, they were both extremely skilled in magic, so much that she couldn't even tell what spells they were using half the time.

"Raven, are you alright?" asked Alice, finally speaking from the moment she arrived.

"I've been better." she said with a small laugh.

"Oliver … where are your clothes?" asked the Slytherin as she leaned forward to look to him. Oliver blinked, looking down at himself. He had almost forgotten he was nearly naked and quickly brought Raven's robes around him to hide that.

"Uh … they were taken..." he said shyly, his head hung low. Alice rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the two witches dueling through magic. Raven watched as well, seeing the look of determination on Thornwood's face to take down her sister. Perhaps she wasn't out to get her like the rest of this family. She was protecting her after all. If that wasn't redemption for herself, then she didn't really know what was.

The professor dodged left and right, threw up counter spells and curses when avoidance wasn't enough. She threw out spells and curses alike, some of the forest becoming so damaged by the wayward spells that trees were falling over. Even Alice wasn't sure what some of the spells were, she was already naming off the ones she already knew and could perform, causing Oliver to roll his eyes a little.

"You've gotten better little sister!" Thornwood laughed, countering a curse.

"I've always been better Saphina! I'll prove it to you today!" Marywin roared out. She was about to shout her curse when Thornwood flicked her wand, using _Silencio_ to silence her before she could. Confused, Marywin reached for her mouth to try and figure out a way to reverse it. The professor took this time to swing her wand out, using the body binding curse and causing her younger sister to fall to the ground with a shocked look.

"You may have gotten better, but not very wiser Marywin." Thornwood looked down at her, sighing softly and putting her wand away. With the threat out of the way she turned back to her students, looking at them while they each had their own look of confusion on their face. The protection barrier fell, allowing Thornwood to approach them.

"Well, let's not just stand around in this forest like a bunch of animals huh?" she said, smiling cheerfully like nothing had just happened. All three of the students glanced between one another before back up to their headmistress.

* * *

><p>It was so nice to be back in Hogwarts after spending nearly two days in a forest. Thornwood had returned them to the school, sending Raven directly to the hospital wing to take care of her broken ribs. Oliver explained to her what had exactly happened while Raven was in recovery. The professor listened intently to every detail he could give, paying even more attention when he mentioned the spell he had used to help ease Raven's pain. He explained the kidnapping, the escape, and how Raven had found them food. The only thing he had left out was the book they had brought back with them. He had given it to Alice for the moment to keep safe.<p>

"I see. An interesting spell, you should show it to the nurses in the hospital wing." said Thornwood, standing up from her desk.

"I'm … not really sure how I did it really." said Oliver, smiling nervously.

"That's alright, I'm sure it will come back to you in time. It will be a very beneficial spell to us all. Now, would you like to go see if Raven is doing better?"

"Yes please!"

Oliver and Thornwood left the office and headed through the school for the hospital wing. It was a walk but eventually they made it to the large doors, the headmistress pushing the door open to the hospital area. Near the middle of the room on the side with windows was Raven's bed. At her side was Alice, explaining the assignments she had missed while she was gone and Raven glaring off to the side with a clearly annoyed look.

"Raven!" cried out Oliver, running up to her to save her from more lecturing from Alice. She looked relieved, looking in the direction of his voice and braced herself for impact when he ran at her bed and hugged her gently. Thornwood slowly proceeded after him, avoiding the hugging part but rather sitting at the end of Raven's bed.

"You seem to end up here a lot, huh?" she said, smirking to the Ravenclaw.

"Yeah, the nurse said the same thing." said Raven with a awkward smile.

"Are you doing well?"

Raven nodded, placing her hands in her lap as she sat up. "Oliver's spell helped the healing along extremely well. I should be able to walk around on my own in time for exams."

"Which is why I'm catching her up on the two days she missed." added Alice, looking down at her friend. Raven glared back up at her before closing her eyes and giving a defeated sigh. She wasn't going to get away with missing two days even if she was nearly killed.

"What about-" began Oliver.

"You're next." said Alice, looking to him and sending a chill down his spine.

"Well, you should get your rest. Your friends can visit you whenever you like but I'm sure you want to be alone right now." said Thornwood, standing and looking to the other two students. They nodded removing themselves from Raven's bedside. As they left the professor looked to Raven, offering a small smile.

"Don't compare me to the rest of my family Raven." said Thornwood "I am nothing like them and my soul purpose is to protect the children of this school and you especially. I won't let my sister take what belongs to you and she could use to do harm."

"I know." said Raven with a smile. "Is it true though … that my dad almost married that woman?"

She looked at her for a moment before not saying anything at all. The witch turned, leaving Raven's question unanswered and walked out of the hospital wing, leaving Raven there with a look of confusion.


	20. Going Home

**Author's Note:** This is it! I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope I improved a little on my writing. xD All in all this was a fun story to write, and don't worry, year two is in the works!**  
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* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty<strong>

**Going Home**

That night at dinner there was to be a special announcement. All students were to sit at their house tables, meaning Alice and Oliver were forced to sit at the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. The hall began to fill with students for supper, James, Albus, and Rose sitting at the Griffindor table but looking over the other tables for Raven, Alice, and Oliver. Once everyone was seated Thornwood took her place at the podium, clasping her hands together to get the hall's attention.

"Good evening students." said Thornwood. "I'm sure you're all studying hard for your exams coming up. However some of you may or may not have heard of the recent event that happened. Two of our students had gone missing, but rest assured they were returned safely. Now there are a few points I would like to hand out to a certain few people."

The students blinked, looking around at each other before returning their attention to the front of the hall.

"First, I would like to reward thirty points to Raven Taylor, who could not be here right now but I assure the reason is well enough. She has shown leadership in a dire time of need and with wit and measure, she helped a friend through rough times."

The students at the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly, clapping and whistling as if in hopes that Raven would hear them from the hospital wing. Even the other tables applauded, Alice clapping politely while Oliver at the Hufflepuff table and most of the Griffindor table applauded with them.

"I award twenty points to Alice Carinana, her determination and bravery towards her friends is the most I have seen since my time teaching at this school."

The Slytherin table was next to applaud loudly, some of the students reaching over and patting Alice on the shoulders, only to get a cold glare from her and causing them to scoot farther away from her.

"And last but not least, I award fifty points to Oliver Reed, who's quick thinking, bravery and skills have saved the life of a fellow student."

Cheers from the Hufflepuff table nearly shook the hall as the entire table stood, throwing their arms in the air in celebration. Oliver sat there in mid cheer, mouth open and eyes wide as he tried to take in the amount of points he had just earned for his house. Fifty? FIFTY? Before he knew it fellow Hufflepuffs were all over him, rubbing his hair, patting his back and shoulders before he was lifted up into the air in celebration.

James cheered for him loudly from the Griffindor table along with Albus and Rose. Even Alice rose her voice loudly over the Hufflepuff's cheering, excited for her friend. Thornwood watched with a smile on her face before turning to the hourglasses that kept track of the house points. At the moment Griffindor was in lead, followed by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, then Slytherin. With the points applied to the board, Hufflepuff rose past Ravenclaw and Griffindor, Ravenclaw rising above Griffindor, and Slytherin became tied with Griffindor.

"I'd say that's a pretty nice jump." said Thornwood, smiling as the students continued to cheer. "When you're done celebrating, do enjoy your meal."

* * *

><p>As time went on Raven soon fully recovered. Just as the nurse said, it was in time for exams and all the preparing Alice gave to her gave her the confidence she needed to pass them. It was the first time in weeks that anyone had seen her outside the hospital wing so her sudden appearance in class was one for talk. In her first class of the day Raven strode down the small aisle to her seat. As she sat down she could hear the other students talking quietly among themselves, discussing what the cause of her absence.<p>

Silently she pulled out her transfiguration notes, looking them over while Griffindor students glanced at her every now and then and talked in barely audible whispers. Did they know her secret? Thornwood had said to all of them that she was not to tell anyone of what happened or about the power she had. Did someone figure it out? While she was milling it over, Raven didn't notice Albus and a few other students from the Griffindor side make their way over to her. She lifted her head up, jumping in her seat a bit when James' face was mere inches from her.

"GUH!" shouted Raven, grabbing onto her desk for support.

"Raven, is it true you got kidnapped?" said Albus.

"Why did you get kidnapped? Were you being held for ransom?" said another student.

"I … uh … would rather not talk about it." said Raven, holding her hands up in front of her to block to form a metaphorical barrier between her and the gathering crowd. The students frowned, groaning in disappointment.

"Now now, if she doesn't want to talk about it then we shouldn't make her." said James, shooing the crowd away. When they majority of them had returned to their seats he turned back around, leaning against her desk and looking her over.

"What really happened?" he demanded.

"I'm not obligated to tell." said Raven, glancing away.

"Right..." he said, looking her over a moment, staring hard before the door to the classroom swung open, causing James and the rest of the class to turn to see the professor move quickly into the room.

"Mr. Potter, please return to your seat. Why are you even in here? This is the First Year exams." said the Professor, eyes peering at him.

"You wouldn't let me take my exam with the rest of the class because I was late."

"Oh, well find a seat with your house and I will get to you when I can."

James shrugged, pushing himself up with the help of Raven's desk and moved to find a spot among the other Griffindors to sit. Now that the room had some order the professor smiled, making his way to his desk in the front of the room. With a flick of his wand small cages began to float out from the back room and onto each student's desk. Inside was a small canary, chirping loudly and fluttering around in it's prison. Raven frowned deeply, looking up to the professor she was contemplating on what they would have to do to the poor distressed thing.

"Now, before you is a small canary." said the professor. "Your exam will be to transfigure this bird into something you would use to keep cool. Feel free to be creative, you will be graded on it but a majority of your grade will be based on how well you did and how long your transfigure can last. Wands ready? Begin!"

Raven stared down at the bird in the cage, unsure what to do. Sure she had worked with transfiguring live animals before and she knew how to change them back. She just didn't want to do it to an animal so frightened as this one. Her eyes darted around the room, students already working on their animal. She saw lots of feathered fans, so easy it was probably not much extra credit. She would have to get to work on the animal even if she wanted to or not. She had to pass this class.

"Okay, creativity … here it goes." said Raven. Her eyes squinted shut, she waved her wand at the bird, concentrating as much as she could on what she wanted the bird to turn into.

Ten minutes had passed before the professor called for a times up. Having completed his exam, James left the class, waving to his friends in the mean time on his way out the door. As soon at the door to the classroom shut the professor began to walk around the room, looking over the exams. Raven stared down at her own, gritting her teeth as she measured the space between her and the professor. She was going to fail for sure, her project was stupid enough. Soon enough the professor stopped in front of her, looking down at the gray, ventilated metal box that sat in the bottom of the cage.

"Miss Taylor, what is this you have turned your bird into?" he said, lifting his glasses to look it over.

"An … air … conditioner." said Raven in a low and as quiet voice as she could.

"A what?"

"An air conditioner!" Raven blurted out, leaning back into her chair and covering her face.

"Oh, what an interesting set up. Those things certainly keep you cool! Well done, an E for you!"

"Wuh?" she said, blinking her eyes.

"Now, return it to it's original state and you will be free to leave." he said, writing down her grade. Raven nodded, waving her wand slightly and pointing it at the small metal box. It chirped a few times before the box began distorted, it's form and color changing back to the yellow canary.

"Wonderful!" said the professor, marking it down as a complete. With his permission, Raven quickly left the class, avoiding anymore questions about her condition and how and why she got kidnapped in the first place.

After a few classes she was left with the last one of the day, Potions. Thankfully Ravenclaw had the class with Slytherin, so she could get some studying in with her before class started. Racing down the hall, she hoped in the back of her mind that Alice was in there. Going to this class early wasn't something she wanted to do. She hated Potions almost as much as History of Magic. With eager strength she pushed the door open to Potions, relieved with the sight of Alice setting up her station with her cauldron and vials all ready.

"Ah! Alice! Study time! Now!" gasped Raven, running up beside her and grabbing hold of the desk to stop herself.

"Huh? Didn't you review enough when you were in the hospital wing?" she asked, setting her cauldron stirrer neatly next to the cauldron stand.

"Yes, I did, but I'm not sure I know everything perfectly. Tutor me before class starts, please?" pleaded Raven.

Alice looked at her before giving a sigh and closing her eyes, reaching into her bag and pulling out the study guide she had made before hand and set it on the desk. Raven grinned brightly, clapping her hands before scrambling to Alice's side and taking hold of the seat and sitting on it once it settled. The two students quizzed each other for the half an hour before the class started, Alice going over every possible potion that could be in the exam. When the class started to fill Raven confidently took her seat on the Ravenclaw side, sure she was going to ace this exam for sure.

Professor Slughorn made is way in, smiling cheerfully to all his students. Without saying a word all students who were lingering made their way to their own seats, facing ahead while they waited for the announcement of the exam.

"Good evening class, I wanted to go with a classic today, so today we're going to be making the Forgetfulness Potion for your exam." said Slughorn.

"AWW YEAH! I GOT THIS!" shouted Raven suddenly. The class turned, looking at her while she had her fist up in the air. Slowly it lowered as she looked around, Raven sheepishly placing her hands in her lap and looking down at the table top. "Sorry..."

"Right well, we won't waist time because I'm sure you all want to go out an enjoy the day, so when you're ready, you may begin." said Slughorn, turning over an hourglass to begin the timing.

At once everyone began working on their potions. Of course Alice was already ahead of the class, having excelled at potions long before, this was a piece of cake for her. Raven looked down at her ingredients, smiling as she began gathering them all into a pile. _This is easy, piece of pie. Now what went first … um … uh … OH CRAP! I FORGOT HOW TO MAKE A FORGETFULLNESS POTION ALREADY!_

* * *

><p>"Well, at least you passed." said Alice as she walked with Raven and Oliver to the Great Hall.<p>

"Yeah with the lowest grade possible to pass." muttered Raven, her head hung low.

"Did you do well on your other exams at least?" asked Oliver while he held onto his graduation cloak. They each had to change from their uniforms to the standard ones, on top of their heads they wore the small black hats that those who passed on to the next year wore.

"I think so. I didn't get any failing grades I don't think." she said.

"Looks like we'll be seeing you back here next year then." said Alice. She wasn't trying very hard to hide the smile that was forming on her face. Oliver couldn't help but smile as well, excited that they would be together again in the next year. The three made it into the hall, going to their respective tables for the year end feast. Students chatted excitedly among one another, gossiping, talking about the last day and how relieved they were that all the tests were finally over.

Raven looked up at the front of the hall, expecting to see the Headmaster at least for this feast but she couldn't seem to locate him anywhere. Thornwood sat at the table in his place, smiling as she talked with Professor Longbottom. Hagrid sat in his usual spot, beaming as he waved excitedly to James, Albus and Rose. She smirked, turning back to watch as the grand feast was brought onto the tables through magic.

Everyone began reaching over, taking their fill of the foods they wanted. Raven pulled parts of roast beef from the platter onto her plate, chomping down on them once she got what she needed. She was nearly scarfing down the food until she stopped herself while she was in thought. She wasn't going to be eating this well until September, surely her mother wouldn't be up to making such a grand dinner for four. Raven's chewing began to slow, rather then inhaling her food she decided to enjoy it while she could. She had to say House Elves were pretty good cooks.

Once the plates were emptied and the tabled cleaned of food, Thornwood stood up at the podium, smiling down at the students while they stared up at her. Her smile was to them all, but more so to Raven, Alice and Oliver. Alice glanced over to Raven's table, making sure she was paying attention while Oliver was snacking on the remains of his dinner he had managed to save from being taken away from him.

"Well, look at the lot of you." said Thornwood. "It does my heart well to know that while we are sending a new generation of witches and wizards out into the world with the knowledge it takes to survive, we have also brought in future generations and have begun to teach them all they will need to know to some day reach the same point of our graduating students. Now, I'm sure you'd all like to know who wins the House Cup this year."

Students laughed and cheered, each one looking to the hourglasses that held their house points.

"Having distributed all the points, we shall see who is this year's winner." said Thornwood, her eyes joining with the students to watch the points distribute. Ravenclaw rose to second place, Slytherin to third and Griffindor to fourth, leaving the yellow gems at the top of the class, indicating Hufflepuff the winners.

"Congratulations Hufflepuffs, you have won the House Cup!" shouted Thornwood. As she did so she rose her hands up, clapping and magically making the banners hanging about the hall change to Hufflepuff colors. The entire house cheered loud and strong, lots of students once again taking hold of Oliver and cheering and pulling him along. It was his heroic actions months ago that gave them such an advantage and lead to them winning the cup. Oliver yelped out as he was hugged, kissed on the cheek by some of the girls and even some of the more daring boys.

"Alright, calm down everyone." laughed Thornwood. "Now that the year is over I would like to make some announcements for you to look forward to next year. First off one of our teachers will be retiring this year."

"Is it Professor Binns?" shouted one of the students. The ghostly professor blinked a little at the mention of his name, then frowned, glaring a little out over the crowd of students to see if he could find the one who shouted such nonsense.

"No, no it's not." said Thornwood, stifling a small amount of laughter. "The professor for Transfiguration has decided to step down. We're still going to be looking for a replacement, but when we do we will send a letter home to your parents when we do."

"Wonder who it's going to be..." said Raven to herself as Thornwood went on.

"And last, I would like to announce that for next year's term, I have been made Headmistress in the absence of the Headmaster." she said, practically beaming with pride. The students and staff clapped for her achievement, she giving a slight bow to them before clasping her hands together in front of her.

"I want you all to know I am very proud of every single one of you and for those of you that are leaving us for the last time, I wish you the best of luck in your lives." said Thornwood. "For those of you returning next you, I can say I look forward to seeing you all once again! With that noted, you are all dismissed for the summer!"

After her last words all the the students cheered, throwing their hats into the air in celebration. Raven glanced around as everyone did so, she fumbling with her hat before tossing it into the air with the rest of them. While everyone's hats had already fell to the ground, Raven's remained in the air a few moments longer then she wanted it to. She blushed softly in embarrassment, reaching down and picking up her hat from the aisle before everyone started getting up to leave.

* * *

><p>The steam from the train billowed over the platforms as students began to board onto the Hogwarts Express. Raven jumped up and down, trying to see over the crowds of students to try and find Alice or Oliver. She grunted when she couldn't get a clear view and slumped a little in disappointment. Was it so hard to grow a couple feet to see better? She was about ready to get in the train car on her own when she was suddenly shoved into it. Her arms flailed around as she hit the other side of the car, smacking her head into the door of one of the compartments.<p>

"Gee Raven, you're not very graceful are you?" said Alice from behind her.

"Are you alright?" said Oliver, rushing up to her side and helping her up.

"A-Alice! Oliver! I was just looking for you!" said Raven with a gasp and a sigh of relief. She turned herself around, hooking her arms around their necks and hugging them close.

"Yeah yeah, we're here." said James as his voice flooded past all the excited chatter of other students. He pushed his way into the car, Albus and Rose close behind him to avoid getting separated.

"Oh how could we ever miss you?" said Alice, turning to face him with a narrowed eyed glare. "I'm surprised you even passed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked James with a large frown on his face. Raven was unsure if it was a sarcastic one or not.

"You didn't study, you were late for your first exam, oh yes, I know about that. Oh, and your rude comment at the banquet about Professor Binns was uncalled for." she hissed.

"What … hey! How did you know it was me?" he said, stepping back from the Slytherin as she moved closer to him.

"We've been going to the same school for months. I know the sound of your voice."

"Oh … well..." he began, laughing slightly out of nervousness while behind him his brother and cousin snickered.

"Get in here, you're hold up the line." said Alice, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and into the train car.

Once they were all in Oliver found a compartment for them to sit in together. Raven settled in between Alice and Oliver, acting as a coach to keep Alice from lecturing James anymore about his laziness in school. As the train started moving however Raven stood, looking out the window to see Hagrid waving while holding that large lantern. She smiled, waving at him through the window while they passed, Albus and Rose moving beside her to wave to him as well.

The train ride was long just as it was going there, but instead of being lonely, scared, and nervous, Raven was now surrounded by friends. The way home was spent with everyone exchanging contact information to keep in touch. Raven gave out her e-mail, address to Alice since she didn't have a computer. She was a little curious as to why she didn't, _everyone _had computers these days.

Eventually after hours of travel the train pulled into the station, stopping at the platform Nine and Three-quarters. The children stood up, looking out the window to see the parents lined up, awaiting the arrival of their children. Raven quickly scanned the crowd, trying to find her parents, but couldn't really see them.

"There's Mum and Dad!" Said Albus, pointing to the platform where Harry and Ginny stood with smiling faces. Lily held onto her father's hand, but one could tell she was excited to see her brothers coming home. Right next to them were Ron and Hermione, their son right next to his cousin to welcome his sister home. Not far from them were Alice's parents, and who she thought was Oliver's, he sure looked like his dad.

The train stopped as steam flowed over the platform, the doors sliding open to allow the students out. Grabbing their carry-on luggage, the group of friends moved off the train. The Potter and Weasely family waved to them as they moved to their parents, Alice gave Raven a hug and told her she would write, leaving her in the care of Oliver and his parents. She stood with them while she waited for her dad at least. Oliver introducing her to his mother and father. Mrs. Reed smiled and gave her a hug, something Raven wasn't expecting and it caused her to squeak a little in surprise.

"Where are they?" said Raven as she frowned. Around them the crowd of parents and students were thinning out.

"They could be running late." said Oliver. He sat next to Raven on her trunks, Par sitting in his cage quietly while he slept.

"Is that them?" said Mr. Reed, looking around his wife to see a tall man in glasses and shaggy blonde hair running towards them.

"RAAAAVEEEEEEN!" he cried out, arms outstretched and tears in his eyes. Raven stared at her father, her smile turning into a frown. She grit her teeth, turning her head away as she laughed softly.

"What? No that's no them." she said, still facing away.

"How does he know your name?"

"Drat..." she muttered, slouching her shoulders a moment before bracing for impact. Her father swooped in, scooping her up into his arms and holding her close to him while he swayed left and right.

"I'm so sorry! We're here now! You know your mum! Takes HOURS to get ready!" said David, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Don't you go blaming this on me!" Renee shouted, tugging Tobias behind her. "Your son decided he wanted to play hide and seek five minutes before we were supposed to leave!"

"Let go Dad!" shouted Raven, slipping from his arms once he abruptly let go. She fell to the ground, tumbling back into her trunks. She sighed, muttering as she pushed herself up.

"Ah! So you must be Oliver Reed and his parents!" said David, holding his hand out in greeting. "Thank you for looking after my daughter while we were running late."

"It's not a problem." Mrs. Reed said, shaking his hand after her husband had. Oliver leaned down, helping Raven up off the floor with a smile.

"Well, I guess we'll see each other in September?" he said with a smile.

"Maybe sooner then that." she replied, reaching out and shaking his hand. The two grinned at each other before Raven grabbed one of her trunks, her father reaching for the other. Her mother took hold of Par's cage after thanking the Reed's and telling them goodbye. Even Tobias helped by grabbing her school bag.

The family headed out through the pillar after the others had left, David smiling down at his daughter as they walked. With his free hand he put his arm around her, guiding her towards the car as they left the station.

"I'm glad that you're safe." he said quietly enough for only her to hear.

"I'm glad you're better." she said in return.

"So was Hogwarts everything you imagined it to be?"

"Nine months without technology, what do you think Dad?"


End file.
